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$4.99 July 2018
Vol 31 • No 02
Juicy Melon Recipes
Remembering the Regiment
Great Auk Revival The Badger Diner is Back
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See what’s new on the horizon. Follow us on social media for the latest news and updates.
marineatlantic.ca
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SHERWOOD PARK, AB Festival Place October 10 - 13
LLOYDMINSTER, AB / SK Vic Juba Community Theatre October 14
FORT MCMURRAY, AB Keyano College Theatre October 18 - 21
PICTOU, NS Decoste Centre of the Arts November 6
SYDNEY, NS Highland Arts Theatre November 7
HALIFAX, NS, Rebecca Cohn Auditorium November 9 - 10
SAINT JOHN, NB Imperial Theatre
SUMMERSIDE, PEI Harbourfront Theatre November 14
RIVERVIEW, NB Riverview Arts Centre November 15
FREDERICTON, NB Frederiction Playhouse November 16
November 13
www.buddywasisname.com/tour-dates
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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Associate Editor Ashley Miller Assistant Editor Elizabeth Whitten Special Publications Editor Tobias Romaniuk Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Graphic and Web Designer Cory Way Graphic Designer Jeff Cave Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Account Manager Tiffany Boone Finance and Administration Senior Accountant Karen Critch Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Operations Manager Alicia Hanlon Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Warehouse Operations Warehouse Operator Josephine Leyte Distribution Sales & Merchandising Joseph Reddy Sr. Customer Service Associate Sharon Muise Inventory Control Clerk Heather Lane Warehouse Associate Anthony Sparrow Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, Water Street Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Avalon Mall Carol Howell Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Emma Goodyear, Jonathon Organ, Megan Thomey, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Janet Watkins, Melissa Wheeler, Drew Ennis, Rebecca Ford, Darlene Burton, Natalie Engram
Subscriptions Sr. Administrative Assistant Amanda Ricks Customer Service Associate Michelle O’Toole Founding Editor Ron Young Publisher and President Grant Young Chief Operating Officer Todd Goodyear Chief Financial Officer Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $39; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $40.95; ON $44.07; NB, NS, PE $44.85. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.00.
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Printed in Canada Official onboard magazine of
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europe next door
Contents
JULY 2018
62 Eat Your Way Across Newfoundland & Labrador (and drink your way back) A guide to culinary experiences, food festivals and beverage businesses ready to fuel your adventures and feed your soul
74 Hiking With Honey Bees A new beekeeping operation is open for public tours. Elizabeth Whitten
78 Top 10 Things to Do in St-Pierre-Miquelon
62 have a scoff
www.downhomelife.com
Tours to take, trails to hike and more adventures on the French islands Dennis Flynn
130 Remembering The Regiment As the 100th anniversary of the Great War’s end approaches, we share our readers’ connections to the heroes who fought – and often fell – for our freedom. July 2018
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Contents
JULY 2018
homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor 11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine
12 Letters From Our Readers A Fort Pepperrell connection, knot tying and a mystery object
22 Downhome Tours Explore Italy with Downhome
24 Blind Ambition This travelling
26 italy awaits
salesman left an impression wherever he went. Elizabeth Whitten
28 That’s Amazing Wild news from around the world
30 Life’s Funny D’oh-ope! Ed Power 31 Say What A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
32 Lil Charmers By the Seashore
30 busted
34 Pets of the Month Water Dogs 36 Poetic Licence Wooden Boats Edwin Bishop
38 Why is That? Why do we wear ties? And why do we knock on wood? Katherine Hudson 40 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews Rosalind Gill and reviews her book, Too Unspeakable for Words. 4
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splashin’ pups 1-888-588-6353
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changing with the times
42 What Odds Paul Warford wants to clean up NL
44 In Your Words Resettlement and the Spiralling Deficit Charles Beckett
features 46 Flowers Forever Creative passion blossoms at Petal Jewellery Shop Wendy Rose
54 From Seed to Weed The evolution of a family business that spans almost 100 years Elizabeth Whitten 58 Stuff About‌ What do Queen Victoria, dandelions and medical marijuana have in common?
explore
46 petal power
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60 What’s on the Go Exciting events happening in Atlantic Canada 88 Still Bobbing Along The annual Manuels River Bobber Race continues to reel in funds for a worthy cause. Elizabeth Whitten July 2018
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Contents
JULY 2018
98 food to go
92 Boatloads of Fun 94 Travel Diary On the Trail of the Newfoundland Caribou John A. Montgomerie
94 solemn journey
food and leisure 98 Everyday Gourmet A “Big Easy” Picnic Andrea Maunder
102 Everyday Recipes 8 juicy melon recipes
110 The Best Fish & Chips…Is Back! After a devastating fire, The
102 melon madness
Badger Diner is back in business. Ashley Miller
114 Down to Earth Landscaping for Living Ross Traverse 6
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118 sailing into danger
reminiscing 118 Flashbacks Classic photos of our war heroes
119 This Month in History The first meeting of the Newfoundland Press Club 120 Petty Harbour Fishery Childhood memories and occupational folklore with Michael Hearn Terra Barrett About the cover In this issue readers get a real taste of Newfoundland and Labrador with this province-wide tour guide to the best food and drink activities and attractions on the menu. Your tour starts on page 62.
Cover Index 8 Juicy Melon Recipes • 102 10 Things to Do • 78 Honey Bee Hikes • 74 Eat and Drink • 62 Remembering the Regiment • 130 Great Auk Revival • 28 The Badger Diner is Back • 110
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122 Between the Boulevard and the Bay The True North Strong, Free and Brave Ron Young
124 Amelia Earhart in Newfoundland: The adventure continues Heather Stemp 140 Mail Order 144 Real Estate 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish
July 2018
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Discover the perfect way to preserve flowers forever – on p. 46.
New! Listen to the Downhome Podcast at www.downhomelife.com.
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Find out how the extinct Great Auk could make a great comeback – on p. 28.
Enter to win a free one-year membership to The Rooms July 3-23 at www.downhomecontests.com.
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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules Be a Winner!
Every reader whose photo, story, joke or poem appears next to the yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue will be awarded 20 Downhome Dollars.*
Submit Today!
Send your photo, story, joke or poem to
Downhome 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or submit online at:
www.downhomelife.com
In January 2019, a panel of Downhome staff will select the top submissions published in 2018, which will be put to a public vote on DownhomeLife.com in early 2019. The submission with the most votes will win an iPad mini and a 3-year subscription to Downhome magazine.
*One prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material. www.downhomelife.com
July 2018
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i dare say I’ve been known to follow my gut.
Ashley Miller photo
Especially on road trips, vacations, hikes…I am always thinking with my gut. Not in that instinctive way that independent people operate, but in that “Where’s my next meal coming from?” kind of way. It’s a running family joke that when I was a kid on car trips, my constant refrain wasn’t “Are we there yet?” It was “Where are we stopping to eat?” I wasn’t very old when I learned to read road signs and I’d helpfully point out, “Dad, there’s a restaurant coming up in 2 km. Can we stop there?” Or “Are we going to have a picnic somewhere?” When I got old enough to be the one driving across the island, I’d point out to my passengers, “That’s the place with the really good fries, dressing and gravy,” or “We’re stopping in Goobies because they have the best turkey sandwiches.” It only took our first family vacation for my stepdaughter to decide that on any trips in the future we had to pack snacks for me. (Yes, that’s my photo next to the word “hangry” in the dictionary.) So I hope you are as excited as I am to be holding the ultimate guide to Eat Your Way Across Newfoundland and Labrador (and Drink Your Way Back), beginning on page 62. This isn’t a guide to diners, drive-thrus and takeouts – there are too many of them to mention and they’re pretty easy to find. These are adventures and events that include food as a main course! Best of all, considering the veritable smorgasbord of food tourism operations we found, and all the recent talk about NL food and chefs, from “Parts Unknown” to “Top Chef Canada,” I no longer feel like I’m the only one who follows their gut. Thanks for reading,
Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief Janice@downhomelife.com
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Contributors
Meet the people behind the magazine
Wendy Rose
Doug Wells
Born in Port aux Basques, raised in Conception Bay South and now residing in downtown St. John’s, NL, Wendy Rose recently joined our team of freelance journalists. In Downhome, she typically writes about young people who, like herself, are doing what it takes to make a life and a living in Newfoundland and Labrador. In this issue, she introduces us to the uniquely sentimental wares of a creative local jewelry maker (see “Flowers Forever” on p. 46). “I came across Petal Jewellery Shop at a craft fair in Corner Brook…Her amazing work, gorgeous signage and big smile drew me in,” says Wendy. “When we started talking about her craft, her passion was evident and I knew I wanted to learn more.” Wendy writes on a wide variety of topics for most major media outlets in the province, including The Telegram, The Newfoundland Herald, The Overcast and Secret East. On the side, she can also be found “slinging music at Fred’s Records and artisan soap at Tvål Skincare.”
Retired teacher Doug Wells of Harbour Breton, NL has been submitting his well-researched local histories to Downhome for more than a decade. In particular, he’s spent a great deal of time digging into his region’s involvement in the Great War. “After researching the war experiences of WWI soldiers from Harbour Breton, which took me several years to complete, I’ve turned my attention to WWI soldiers from other outport communities in the area,” says Doug, himself born and raised in the resettled Hermitage Bay community of Muddy Hole. Turn to p. 137 for one of Doug’s gripping soldier stories. “Pte. Organ’s war story is tragic, as many of them are. They should never be forgotten,” he says. When he’s not mining history for fascinating tales, Doug spends much of his time volunteering. In 2012, his efforts earned him the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal; in 2008, he was named Citizen of the Year by his hometown. He and his wife, Audrey, have three grown children and three grandchildren.
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Travelling with Downhome
You’ll be interested to learn that we faithfully take with us (on our annual adventures) a copy of Downhome. Your excellent magazine is well travelled. Just prior to the start of our most recent trip (February 28 to April 18, 2018), we thought that this new adventure should comprise the following 4 Fs: 1. Faith, based somewhat on (a) a simple “religious” belief of not being alone…our basic needs will be met; and (b) an awareness that we have “survived” other previous, challenging journeys; 2. Fear, based somewhat on (a) our age and health; and (b) very limited insurance as well as other potential concerns; 3. Fellowship, based on the excitement and joy of meeting new friends, especially via Couch Surfing and, perhaps, hostelling; and 4. Foolishness, based on visiting nine countries (Portugal, Spain, Morocco, France, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic and Switzerland) in only six weeks. 12
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Now, after successfully fulfilling our dream, we can honestly claim that our “Faith” and our bodies are even stronger, especially due to excessive hiking and dieting (with each of us losing weight); our original “Fear” was quite unnecessary, though Gerard’s health will still need some attention; our remarkable “Fellowship” has provided us with more terrific friends; and as for “Foolishness,” we’ll leave it to the judgement of others. We ourselves are blessed with many new friends and great experiences, memories and photos. So how did we do it? Our means of transportation included 15 reasonably priced air flights; six bus trips; nine train trips; and two tours (including 2hour camel rides in the Sahara sand dunes, with an overnight stay in a tent); as well as a number of rides in private cars, and local city trams and buses. Our nightly accommodation was almost entirely via CouchSurfing.com [a booking site for staying with locals]. Our stay in the 14 Couch Surfing homes enabled us to experience, particularly, a tremendous variety of personalities, generosities and kindnesses – all of which assisted us in our travels, boosting considerably our confidence, morale and understanding. A number of our Couch Surfing hosts introduced us to and provided us with local, delicious cuisines; picked us up at airports and bus/train stations; and generally informed us about how to get around and what to see and do. We sincerely wish that our new European/Moroccan friends will visit with us in Canada. Gerard (Gerry) and Yuvadee Feltham Glovertown, NL
You certainly are an adventurous duo. Thanks for taking Downhome along and for sharing your photos and your travel tips. You might inspire someone else’s worldly adventure! www.downhomelife.com
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find corky sly conner Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.
Can you find him? Look carefully at all the photographs and in the text of the stories. If you spot Corky, send us your name, address and phone number, along with a note telling us where he’s located. Your name will be entered in a draw and the winner will receive a coupon worth 25 Downhome Dollars redeemable at our store, or through our website.
Send your replies to: Corky Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
Congratulations to Sherry St. Croix of St. Mary’s, NL, who found Corky with the cheerleader on page 18 of the May issue.
Screech-In I know this is a little late, but we were away all winter and I just got my Downhome last week. I wish politicians would focus on their job, and do it properly, and leave Newfoundland and Labrador traditions be [re: “Out with the Screech-in,” February 2018 issue]. There is nothing degrading about getting “Screeched in.” It is tradition. Most people who visit Newfoundland and Labrador look forward to the ceremony. What I find degrading is seeing our politicians on TV, acting like a bunch of preKindergarten kids. When I was in the military, we had a ceremony we would perform whenever we crossed the International Date Line. We put our late PM [Pierre] Trudeau and [wife] Margaret through that ceremony. I was “King Neptune” 14
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mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com *No Phone Calls Please One entry per person
Deadline for replies is the end of each month.
on that flight. They went through with it, knelt in front of the king (me), drank a potion of cold veggie soup spiked with gin, and laughed at it. It was just fun, and the PM was not degraded at all. We presented him and Margaret with a certificate, signed by the aircraft captain – in this case, Commander of 437 squadron in Trenton. I am a Newfie, and proud of it. Ray Martin Prescott, ON
There are a number of “line-crossing” rituals for seafarers and fliers. The Prime Minister and his wife got off easy, as the earliest days of the Court of Neptune ceremony for those crossing the equator for the first time involved beatings with wet ropes or being electrocuted by a contraption called the “Devil’s Tongue”! 1-888-588-6353
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Fort Pepperrell Connection I spent time at Fort Pepperrell AFB in St. John’s, NL, while in the US Air Force. I arrived by boat at St. John’s harbour in January 1952, and spent four years at Pepperrell. I met my wife in 1952 at Bannerman Park and we married on March 9, 1953, at Pepperrell AFB chapel. We had our 65th anniversary March past. My wife (Madge Martin) is originally from Charlottetown, Bonavista Bay. We spent our summers in Charlottetown, Bunyan’s Cove and Port Blandford. It was beautiful around the bay. I returned to Pepperrell in 1959, and stayed until they closed the base [in 1961]. We now live in Cedartown, Georgia, where we’ve been for the last 40 years. We go back to Newfoundland and Labrador when we can. James (and Madge) Baldwin Cedartown, GA, USA
Nice to hear from you, James, and to know that you keep connected between visits with issues of Downhome.
Penguin Prompted a Memory
walked around the deck for awhile and then returned to the bow again. The Japanese trawlers travel all over the world fishing, so they must have picked it up down in the Antarctic area. Walter Bateman Porters Lake, NS
We’ve heard of cats and dogs joining ships’ crews, but never a penguin!
What Are These? I found these on the beach and have no idea what they could be. Can anyone tell me? Debbie Curnew Young Lower Sackville, NS (formerly of Stephenville Crossing, NL)
Anyone know what these might be? Email us your best educated guess via editorial@downhomelife.com or write to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.
The story in your April issue brought back a memory from the ’80s of a penguin I saw – and not in a zoo. We were at Sydney, NS, delivering a cargo of petroleum products. When we arrived there was a Japanese trawler moored ahead of us, so after my watch was over I took a walk up to have a look at her. Japanese trawlers are very different from our own trawlers, with a very low profile. While I was looking down at it, a large penguin waddled out from under the bow of the trawler. He just www.downhomelife.com
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Knots and Splices One of your readers, Joe Laberge, expressed interest in seeing readers’ favourite rope work [“Letters From Our Readers,” January 2018]. I have attached a photo of my father Howard Davis’ knot board. Each knot and splice is named directly on the board. He is now deceased, but his hobby during his retired years was knot tying. Being a Leading Seaman with the Royal Navy during WWII and a Boy Scout leader for many years, knot tying as a hobby was a good fit. Susan Davis St. John’s, NL
Thanks, Susan, for responding to that reader’s letter and sharing your late father’s hobby with us.
Howie Meeker Fan I have been going through several years of Downhome back issues that came from my father-in-law, and I came across a short update about Howie Meeker in the August 2013 issue. Howie was a great favourite in my household when I was growing up and we all enjoyed watching him on “Hockey Night in Canada.” My mom, Maxine (Haines), who grew up in Kelligrews, just loved Howie and although she was not much of a hockey fan she never missed Howie on Saturday nights. When Tim Horton’s first came to Moncton, New Brunswick, I took Mom there for a treat, and when we got home I overheard her telling a friend on the phone that I had taken her to a new place in Moncton, “Howie 16
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Meeker’s Doughnuts.” When I later told her the difference we had a great laugh over that. I would love an update on Howie Meeker and would like to know if he is still with us. If he is, I'm sure he is still a big hockey buff. Dave Bailie Sackville, NB
Thanks for the chuckle, Dave. Howie Meeker, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, turned 94 last November. At the time he was speaking publicly to raise funds on behalf of the Cardiac Care Campaign for Victoria Hospitals Foundation in British Columbia, for very specialized equipment needed to perform the type of aortic valve repair that was recently done to save his own life. 1-888-588-6353
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Looking for a Family Vinyl Record I’m desperately writing you in hopes that I may get some help in locating a vinyl record(s). Recording artist Bill Snow was born in Nova Scotia, but called both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador his home once he married my sister Maggie in the late ’60s or early ’70s. A country and western singer, Bill had performed with such greats as Ernest Tubbs and Hank Williams Sr. On his 1973 album, Yodelin’ Bill Snow, he is credited with, in Winnipeg alone, having appeared on stage eight times a week for one year, and he performed in more than 2,400 cities and towns. Now in his 80s, Bill resides in Corner Brook, NL. I’m trying to collect any recordings (vinyl, 8-track etc.) that I may find. I know many people have thrown out their old LPs, but someone may still have one or more of these records. I hope some of your readers can help me.
RECENT TWEETS Dan Rumbolt @DanRumbolt Happy Victoria Day from Little Bay Islands, Adrienne Magnin
Arthur Dominix Belleoram, NL
If anyone has a Bill Snow album in their collection and would like to help Arthur out, please reach out to him by email at: adominix@gmail.com.
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Cruising into Friendship While on a Royal Caribbean cruise, onboard Independence of the Seas, in December 2017, my two sisters and I met Ida and Greg from Port Blandford, Newfoundland. Coincidentally, we met them every day during breakfast or lunch, and even at the airport on our way home. They invited us to visit them, and we in turn invited them to visit us in New York; we live in the country, one hour north of New York City. What a wonderful experience meeting new friends. Newfoundland is now on my list of places to visit. Solveig Hellstrom via email
Here’s a photo (below) Solveig sent of her memorable vacation, featuring sisters Linda, Alice and Solveig standing behind their new Newfoundland friends, Ida and Greg.
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Little Mistake Re: Your May 2018 issue, page 137. I am pretty sure that Sturminster Newton is in DORSET county, not DEVON county. It is not too far from Poole Harbour, also in Dorset, from where the new settlers to Twillingate would have sailed. I was the travelling doctor with the International Grenfell Association, based in Flower’s Cove, NL in 1975. I am British. Dr. David A. Webb Ponoka, AB
Thank you, David, for making that correction. Your knowledge of United Kingdom geography is no doubt better than ours. Another eagle-eyed reader picked up on a typo on page 138 of that same article. Near the bottom of the first column, in the Sleepy Cove mining timeline, the date of its closure is given as 1820. That should have read 1920.
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Found on Facebook Heather Gillingham Cayden Chaulk all ready to take his dad's chainsaw-carved motorcycle for a spin!! (Rodger’s Cove, NL)
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A New York Minute On my recent trip to New York to see “Come From Away,” I met up with Romano Di Nillo at the stage door. He was thrilled to see the article about him in my Downhome magazine and autographed it for me. Sharon King Boston, MA, USA
Thanks for sharing that special encounter with us, Sharon. Romano Di Nillo, of course, is a Newfoundland-born musician who plays the bodhran in the “Come From Away” musical on Broadway and recently released an album of traditional Newfoundland music titled Come From the Bays. He chatted with Stacey Seward for the story she wrote for the March issue of Downhome.
Recipe Correction In the April issue, The Everyday Gourmet featured a Vanilla Peach Muffins recipe, which was missing one ingredient: 3/4 cup sugar. It should be added with the rest of the dry ingredients for the muffin, when you follow the directions.
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homefront Downhome Tours...
Italy
Historic Spot
Shawn Ryan tours St. Mark’s Square in Venice. St. Mark’s Basilica (located in St. Mark’s Square) is a marvel of art and architecture, from top to bottom. Gold mosaics adorn the ceilings of the 11th-century building, while intricately designed marble covers the floors. An opulent golden altarpiece is adorned with thousands of pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious gems.
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Venice Vacay Laura Louttit of Baie-D’Urfé, QC and her daughter Laurie enjoy a little R&R in Venice. The city of Venice is made up of an archipelago of 118 tiny islands in northeastern Italy’s shallow Venetian Lagoon. Separated by a series of narrow canals, the islands are connected by more than 400 bridges. The city and its lagoon comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Property, owing to the unique landscape and ancient architecture.
Iconic Italy
Paulette and Alvin Grimes, Gary and Paulette Willcott, and Paddy and Sandra McNeil of Pasadena, NL visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Before the third storey was even complete, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was already slightly askew – due to the soft ground on which the city was built. While it might be the most famous structure with an unintentional slant, it’s not the only one. Germany’s Leaning Tower of Suurhusen and China’s Huzhu Pagoda exhibit more pronounced slopes.
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homefront
Blind Ambition This Travelling Salesman Left an Impression Wherever He Went By Elizabeth Whitten
When Gregory Neville was flipping through Downhome’s April 2018 issue, an excerpt from Jerry Rideout’s book, My Life in Short Form: stories from my early life in King’s Point, Newfoundland, brought back memories. The story, about growing up in the small community, touched on the various guests who stayed at Jerry’s parents’ home. Jerry recalls being 10 years old and sitting down to dinner with a blind man only remembered as “Patrick,” who travelled across the island selling trinkets. 24
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Gregory immediately recognized the man as his uncle, Patrick Neville. “Uncle Pat was one of the nicest men you ever met in your life. So gentle,” he recalls. He recently spoke with Downhome about his late uncle and the extraordinary life he lived. Patrick was born in a community called Bellmans Cove, now known as Port au Port West. He was the fifth child in his family, born in the late 1920s. As a young man he joined the Merchant Navy and served as First Mate. “He sailed in a lot of places, he was in the Bermudas, he was in different parts of the US. He sailed pretty well all over the world because the Merchant Navy, wherever they were needed, that’s where they went,” says Gregory. Gregory remembers a visit from his uncle in 1947, when he donned his Merchant Navy attire. “I can still picture him with that blue uniform, the white shirt, lanyard and everything on it. It’s etched in my mind. And he was marching like straight as a whip.”
Near Tragedy Patrick nearly lost his life while serving in the Merchant Navy. Gregory believes the Germans torpedoed the ship he was travelling on. “They’d been shipwrecked and my understanding was, it was roughly about 60 men on the boat and only 11 survived, and he was one of the 11. And [they] spent 11 days in the water waiting to be rescued,” says Gregory. Although he survived the ordeal,
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Patrick’s eyesight had severely deteriorated. Doctors weren’t sure if it was caused by the flash of gunfire or the glare of light off the water when he’d been stranded, Gregory explains. “So they took him to Texas to get something done with his eyesight, and there was nothing they could do. His retina was burnt so bad,” he says. By 1950, Patrick had about 52 per cent of his eyesight. By 1952, it was down to 10 per cent, and by 1954 he was blind. “There wasn’t much of an income coming in, so what we would get from welfare basically is what it was then; it wasn’t very much,” says Gregory. “Then him and I started on the roads.”
Life of a Salesman As a teenager, Gregory spent his summer holidays with his uncle and accompanied him travelling the island selling trinkets – pencils, belts, wallets etc. – to support Patrick’s family. “I was very close with him,” says Gregory, for whom it was a fascinating time. Coming from a community with a population of only a couple hundred people, he got to meet new people every day. “One year we went to Baie Verte, him and I, and he had a whole trunk of shoes of different sizes that we were selling door-to-door,” says Gregory. They hadn’t had much luck and were getting ready to turn back when Gregory had an idea. He walked over to the general store, where he talked to the owner and offered the whole contents of the trunk (including the
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trunk itself) for $50. They struck a deal and he went back to tell his uncle the good news. “And he questioned me and he said, ‘That’s a lot of money.’ He didn’t expect to make that much off of it,” says Gregory. But Patrick went home with a pocketful of money, pretty happily, Gregory recalls. Together they travelled the Baie Verte and Northern peninsulas, stopping in places like Tilt Cove, Springdale, Harry’s Harbour, King’s Point, Cormack and as far north as St. Anthony. “We just covered everything. We’d be on the road for a whole week,” Gregory says. They’d take the bus or catch a ride up the Northern Peninsula and sell their wares door-to-door all the way back. Gregory remembers asking his uncle, “‘How come we don’t sell all the way up and then get a ride back?’ But
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that’s the way he wanted to do things.” Eventually, Gregory’s younger brother took over and accompanied their uncle on his trips. Decades later, people still remember this travelling duo. Gregory says he stopped by a museum in King’s Point one time and got talking to a lady who was in her 80s. Gregory mentioned he’d been there with his uncle decades before (when the museum building was a store) and she instantly recalled the pair. Patrick married a woman from Curling, and they had four children. In his later years, he received a pension from the government for his service in the Merchant Navy, totalling $125,000. “It was enough to pay his house off,” says his nephew. Patrick lived to be 76 years old. By Gregory’s estimation, it was a full life.
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homefront
That’s
AMAZING Wild news from around the world
Robodog
Sometime in 2019, the robotics company Boston Dynamics will start selling the SpotMini, a robot that resembles a headless dog. While the price isn’t currently listed, it weighs 25 kg and can move independently using cameras. It can even climb stairs! (For those concerned with a potential robot uprising, the SpotMini needs to be recharged every 90 minutes.)
Putting the Meal in Mealworms
Supermarkets in Aachen, Germany have a new product on their shelves: burgers made from mealworms. Eating insects, a great source of protein, isn’t uncommon in many parts of the world. So far, the burgers have gotten good reviews from the people who’ve tasted them.
Money Maker
To celebrate Karl Marx’s 200th birthday, the German city of Trier introduced a line of souvenirs. Among them was a novelty zero Euro bank note that sold for €3. (What a steal?)
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Singin’ in the Streets
Rumble strips are usually installed on the edge of highways to prevent drivers from going off the road. But those driving past the Dutch town of Jelsum got a different experience. When driven over at 60 km/h, these rumble strips played the national anthem of the region. However, it wasn’t exactly music to the locals’ ears, so they were removed after one day.
Tree Therapy
Looking for a way to get healthy and lower your stress levels? Studies show “forest bathing” could be the answer. It’s the practice of spending time in nature, particularly amongst trees. It’s been shown to lower blood pressure, boost the immune system and more. The Japanese government first introduced the idea in 1982, to encourage people to get out into nature.
The Return of the Great Auk?
While the Great Auk was last seen in 1852, geneticists believe they can revive this bird and reintroduce it to Britain. It would involve extracting DNA from a fossil and implanting it into a razorbill, the Great Auk’s closest living relative. The Great Auk was once found in parts of the US, Canada (including Newfoundland and Labrador) and northern Europe until it was hunted to extinction.
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homefront life’s funny
D’oh-ope! Recently an RCMP officer came to my home to discuss a personal matter. When we had finished our business, I walked him to our back door and was about to say goodbye when a knock came on our front door. I asked him to wait a minute and went to answer the knock. I opened the door and a lady friend of ours walked in and said, “How much do I owe you for the dope?” My wife had picked up some Bug Off fly repellent at the pharmacy for her earlier that day. The young RCMP officer and I had a great laugh. If it had been an officer from outside the province who didn’t recognize the local slang for fly repellent, it might have been a different story! Ed Power Grand Falls-Windsor, NL
Do you have any funny or embarrassing true stories? Share them with us. If your story is selected, you’ll win a prize! See page 9 for details. 30
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“Where are the nuts in this thing?” – Lisa Grandy
Say WHAT?
Downhome recently posted this photo (taken by Cindy Joyce) on our website and Facebook page and asked our members to imagine what the squirrel might be saying. Lisa Grandy’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!
Here are the runners-up: “I asked for a honey-nut muffin.” – Gerald King “What do you mean ‘sugar-free’?!” – Debbie Jordan Coffin “I need a double-double with this! Anyone heading to Tim’s?” – Wendy Cullen
Want to get in on the action? Go to www.downhomelife.com/saywhat
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“Like” us on Facebook www.facebook.com/downhomelife
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homefront lil charmers
By the Seashore Seas the Day
Isabella takes in the wild wind and waves at Madrock Beach. Bailee Lynch Bay Roberts, NL
Buried Treasures Niaya collects sea glass from the beaches of Black Island, Notre Dame Bay. Jeff Gaudet Moncton, NB
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Skinny Dippers Bathing suits be darned, these adventurous tots jump in with both feet. Ashley Gates-Noel St. John’s, NL
Sand & Fun Jemma feels the sand between her toes on the beach in Grand Bay West, NL. Hayley Osmond St. David’s, NL
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pets of the month
Tossed & Found This gorgeous pooch dutifully fetches for its master. Wayne Stacey Channel-Port aux Basques, NL
Water Dogs
Goldi-Paws Rudy’s swimming pool is not too hot, not too cold, but juuust right. Barbara Critch Mississauga, ON
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Creature from the Deep No, it’s not a sea monster; it’s Rhodie the dog – who’s clearly crazy about swimming! Kelley Power St. John’s, NL
Dog Days of Summer Abby and Cruz would rather bathe in the sunshine than in the water. Crystal Rideout Lewisporte, NL
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homefront poetic licence
Wooden Boats By Edwin Bishop
The prettiest thing afloat is a wooden boat Boats in their silence tell us stories. Hi, I am Rodney. At 12, I am the smallest. I won’t grow up but for that I won’t holler. At my size I am the tender for the boat on the collar. To get there I have to be sculled or rowed, Not like my brother, Punt, who has to be towed. Hi, I am Punt. I am 14, 16 or more. Not like Rodney, I go farther from shore. Yes, sometimes I get towed, That’s important because sometimes I have to carry part of the load. I can be sculled, rowed or even sailed If all else failed.
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Hi, I am Master Boat, putt, putt, putt. I am 18, 24 or more Because I have to go even farther from shore. I am the master Because with my make-and-break Acadia, I can go faster. I have to be flat and wide Because I carry all the fish inside. Hi, I am Schooner. I am the mother of all the fleet And with all my sails I look pretty sweet. I go far away And usually stay more than a day. My crews go in dories and face wet and cold. They use trawls to catch fish to salt in my hold. Hi, I am Dory. And at 16 I look pretty slick in my colours of buff and green. I take the crews to catch the fish for the schooner. If there is lots, the crews get to go home sooner.
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Expert answers to common life questions. By Katherine Hudson
Why do we wear ties? The tie has a very long history, evolving from what was known as a cravat, which in turn came from a ruff. The ruff was a big, wide, lacy or starched collar, worn by Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th and 17th centuries, according to Beth Dincuff, fashion historian at The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York City. The ruff is the first separate piece of clothing that ornaments the neck, she says. “It’s like a neck accessory. Before that, people had chemises on undershirts made of white linen or cotton that had a ruffle on them, and that evolved. Everything in fashion really is showing off. That little ruffle became the ruff – a separate accessory that stuck out eight or 12 inches around the perimeter of the neck.” It was made of lace or linen and was a “high-ticket item,” says Dincuff. “It’s not comfortable, and it’s very formal and ceremonial. So, from the ruff, came the idea of the falling collar – or a ruff that didn’t have any starch in it anymore.” Enter, the cravat – made of linen or white lace, it was a little lighter and therefore easier to wear. The shape of the fashion piece evolved as well. It 38
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became more of a scarf, and the fabric was more rectangular. “It was still a decorative piece, but it became a piece of fabric men and women still wore,” says Dincuff. The modern necktie’s growth in popularity in Europe spread from the Croatian mercenaries stationed in France during the Thirty Years’ War in the 1600s. They wore traditional knotted fabric around their necks, a fashion statement that caught on in France and with King Louis XIV, according to The Dubrovnik Times. When the fashion piece transitioned further in the 1660s, becoming less of a collar and more of a cravat, it was worn mainly by men. “Then you see it becoming plainer and less lacy in the 1700s, as men’s clothing became more masculine in some countries,” says Dincuff. During the Regency Period in the 1800s, Beau Brummell, a British expert in men’s fashion, brought the tied necktie into vogue. Also around this time, a monthly pamphlet, titled, “Neckclothitania,” was published, introducing hundreds of types of knots you could tie in your cravat, says 1-888-588-6353
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Dincuff. As the 19th century progressed, striped neckties, cut patterns and more emerged. In the end, it’s still a decorative neck-
piece – something to add flare to an outfit. And ties continue to be worn – often tied with the tried-and-true Windsor knot – on a daily basis today.
Why do we knock on wood? When we feel as though we have said something to tempt fate, many of us almost instinctively state the phrase “knock on wood” in North America, or “touch wood” in the United Kingdom, as we reach out to tap the nearest wooden surface. Why do we do this? Like many words and phrases, the origins are shrouded in a bit of mystery. According to Andrew Thompson’s book, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases, the saying originated with the ancient Druids in England in the third or fourth century BCE. “The Druids worshipped trees (in particular, oaks) and held the firm belief that protective spirits lived within trees. Trees, they believed, were sources of good and warded off evil spirits,” states Thompson. Therefore, people needing luck would touch trees or wear pieces of wood. “The expression became commonplace by the 1850s, and Winston Churchill once said that he always likes to be within an arm’s length of a piece of wood,” the book continues. Other sources state that touching wood is associated with the wooden cross on which Jesus was crucified. People would wear wooden crucifixes: touching them would be an action of reverence, as well as bring good fortune and safety to the wearer. Yet, Steve Roud, author of Superstitions of Britain and Ireland, states that the superstition can only be traced to the early 19th century, through a children’s game titled “Tiggy-touch-wood.” Children would chase each other and the one being chased would only be safe if they were touching wood. Roud states that while more research is required to ensure this theory is a solid origin of the saying, the saying itself is fully ingrained in our language and culture. In his book, he writes, “Even for those who do not believe the notion of tempting fate, boasting is still seen as mildly unacceptable social behaviour, and many say ‘touch wood’ as a way of signalling to listeners that we are aware of the social niceties and to add a touch of humility to balance our transgression.”
Do you have a burning life question for Downhome to investigate? Turn to page 9 for ways to contact us. www.downhomelife.com
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homefront
reviewed by Denise Flint
Too Unspeakable For Words Rosalind Gill Breakwater Books $19.95 Too Unspeakable for Words is a collection of Newfoundland-based short stories by author Rosalind Gill. Many of the stories have appeared in print before and some go back decades. However, they have been re-edited for this edition, and this is the first time they’ve appeared together in one volume. Though she now lives in Ontario, Gill is an unabashed “townie,” and a lot of the best stories take place in St. John’s, NL. However, others are set around the bay and they’re almost as compelling. There’s an historical authenticity to the stories, some of which are set in a time when the very idea of asking one’s husband to help with the dishes was absurd and fathers could legitimately drag their universityattending daughters out of an unseemly party. The men don’t come off well in a lot of these tales. Those that aren’t brutes are ineffective. It would be interesting to read a contemporary story by Gill and see if she still views the male half of the population in such a critical light or if she thinks they were as much victims of circumstances as the women were. Gill can turn a small, seemingly insignificant thing into the entire crux of the story. There is so much going on in the titular first story, for example. But the image that remains in the mind, that gets to the heart of the story, is that of the working-class father trying, and failing, to provide his daughter with the right book bag for her posh school. Such a simple thing, but it resonates.
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with the
Q&A Author Denise Flint: You volunteer for human rights organizations such as PEN and Rights Action. Can you explain what they are and why that’s important? Rosalind Gill: I’m a translator, like lots of writers. It’s been my working life and I have translated a number of books and selected and translated a series of Cuban poems, and I wanted to do something meaningful; and when I saw the way indigenous people were treated in Guatemala and I knew of this organization in Toronto that fights for indigenous rights, I did a lot of translation work for them. And then I was contacted by PEN and do a lot of work for them, largely in Central America for authors who are being harassed there – especially in Honduras, now called the murder capital of the world. They have a dictatorship fully supported by the American and Canadian governments, and what is going on down there is appalling. DF: The stories in Too Unspeakable for Words were written over a long period of time. What made you finally collect them into one book? RG: I had always had it in the back of my head to put them together, so when I retired that was my retirement project. It’s a very difficult task, so I started going to Piper’s Frith [the Newfoundland writers’ retreat] www.downhomelife.com
and received the most glorious coaching possible. They really helped. DF: What attracts you to the short story format? RG: I think that I come from a very storytelling tradition, being a Newfoundlander, and I grew up telling stories and learning stories. So the format of one little story appealed to me and came to me very naturally. DF: A lot of your stories are interconnected. How do you know when a minor character deserves his or her own story? RG: These people that you create sort of stay with you. Georgina was a minor character in the first story, but after I created her she kind of stuck with me and I ended up writing a whole story about her and consciousness-raising. DF: Summer is upon us (we hope). Do you have any recommendations for good vacation reading? RG: I’m just reading a book called Brother by David Chariandy, set in Scarborough [Ontario] about a Trinidadian, and it’s wonderful. I’m reading Michael Crummey’s latest poetry collection and I highly recommend it. I love Michael Crummey’s poetry. Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck is another great book. It’s about a German befriending a refugee, very contemporary and cool. July 2018
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homefront what odds
just drop it By Paul Warford
I’ve visited most of I’m no globetrotter, but I’ve found that the Canada, and my more I travel, the more I appreciate home. Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself. Sure, Florida is passport is getting nice and warm, but the humidity! Who could stamped with stand it? On top of that, everyone wears pastel more countries colours and seniors carry six-shooters on their each year, belts, as though they’re on the set of a spaghetti but when it western. Andie and I like to chat with cab drivers when comes to litter, we travel overseas. “Are you originally from FloNewfoundland is rence?” “How long have you been driving here?” the dirtiest place “Oh yeah, where did your son go while he was in I’ve ever been. Canada?” My wife and I enjoy the quick trade of
culture during these exchanges, as if we’re comparing hockey card collections with a kid from another town. Travelling within Canada is different. When I tell the drivers where I’m from, it usually leads to a joke, or an “Oh, really?” with a chuckle. “Heard all about that place,” and then they tell me what they’ve heard. After four years in Nova Scotia, a few in Banff, and touring with comedy, I recognize a biased Newfoundland reaction immediately. I can spot it in the raised eyebrows, the second glance I receive, now in a new light. “I mean, Newfoundland’s a bit backwards, right?” We know better though, don’t we? We’re not as clueless as the Calgary Hats would have us believe. I mean, we’re as good at living and surviving and being a people as any of them. That said, there’s a lot of garbage on the ground around here, isn’t there? Is it just me? My dog Gabby and I go for plenty of walks. If I were to leave her mess by the curb I’m sure I’d get dirty looks, though I couldn’t say why. Each day, the dog and I see litter spanning every foot of our route; chip bags, Tim Horton’s cups – today we
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saw an empty cardboard box for a three-pack of prophylactics. This stuff is the tip of the iceberg, and I’ve seen everything from used paintbrushes to emptied windshield wash bottles on our city streets. I won’t mention which grocery store, but Gabby and I once wandered its back lot while Andie picked up a few things, and when I saw the garbage past the guardrail, over the bank, I just couldn’t believe it. The image almost brought me to tears, and that’s the truth. I’ve visited most of Canada, and my passport is getting stamped with more countries each year, but when it comes to litter, Newfoundland is the dirtiest place I’ve ever been. By far. Andie and I were sitting in our favourite Amsterdam coffee shop, called The Dolphin. The owner was so friendly during our 2014 visit that we made a point to say hello again in 2017. The place is like a fish tank’s interior: deep blues on the tabletops, and the walls are traced with fibreglass corals painted pink and bright orange. We sat and they served us tea – a fresh sprig of mint sunk in hot water. I was sipping while Andie studied our map, when I saw this guy. He was about my age, dressed in denim, a clean-cut average joe, I guess you’d say. He was bending at the waist, but there was no dog with him. I took interest and continued to watch – he was fiddling with something on the street. What was it? I squinted. There were shards of glass from a broken beer bottle, just a few,
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and this guy was trying to pick them up. Those cobbles have deep crevices, and his fingers wouldn’t fit in them. He couldn’t reach them. Unfazed, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small pocketknife. He unfolded the blade and scoured it along the cracks, fishing out the glass shards. He scraped these onto an envelope, a piece of mail he was carrying, and then dumped the glass into a nearby bin before moving on. I stared at him the entire time. I thought he must’ve been an employee of the city, but he wasn’t. Like I said, he was just some guy. Newfoundlanders take pride in Newfoundland. I know all about it because I’ve heard it and felt it all my life. We never let the doubt and ignorance of our countrymen get us down because we’re hardworking and dedicated and worthwhile and we all know it. Still, there’s a good chance some of you reading this throw your McDonald’s bags from your car windows at night along the highway, and my writing this month is for you. You know who you are. I want you to picture the guy on the street in Amsterdam and I want you to ask yourself: when does hometown pride merely become talk? Paul Warford began writing for Downhome to impress his mom and her friends. He writes and performs comedy in Eastern Canada. Follow him on Twitter @paulwarford
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homefront in your words
Resettlement
and the Spiralling Deficit By Charles Beckett
There is general agreement that the Resettlement
Program carried out by the Smallwood government was a failure. Yet, in our present dire economic times it has again raised its ugly head. At the Smallwood Interpretation Centre in Gambo last fall, the CBC increased the hysteria and rhetoric by orchestrating and airing a “town hall” session on the subject. The main focus was the cost to taxpayers of providing a ferry service to communities such as St. Brendan’s, and the deputy mayor of that community was constantly placed on the defensive. Many suggested that government tie up the ferry and let them arrange their own transportation, or move them all out to a larger centre. Nothing surprising there, but then resettlement has always been with us. The early settlers to our shores resettled from Europe, mainly England and Ireland. Urbanization has been trending for at least a century. In 1911, about 45 per cent of Canadians were 44
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living in urban centres (pop. >1,000); today the number is over 80 per cent. The first family of eight arrived in Gambo from Braggs Island in 1929, to be followed seven years later by three more families, who preceded 20 other families who arrived under the Resettlement Program in 1954. Eighty per cent of the people in one of the communities of concern have already relocated. Ironically, those same small and shrinking surrounding communities are major contributors to the economic thrust of the larger towns, with the latter winning both ways: outside consumer spending and business tax collection. When it comes to discussions about communities like St. Brendan’s, the debate always focuses on dollars per capita – the cost per person of oper1-888-588-6353
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ating the ferry service. Why, all of a sudden, has this become the main focus? Is it some kind of charade to masquerade the main problems? Why does a massive project have not just a slight cost overrun, but double? Why is the labour productivity of Canadian workers so low? How much will public sector union’s contracts cost? My point being, getting rid of the few families in St. Brendan’s won’t result in a balanced budget. A major problem in our rural communities is youth outmigration. Losing these highly skilled workers and consumer spenders has a devastating effect on our economy. To make the situation worse, their parents are also leaving to be closer to their grandchildren. In the Atlantic provinces generally, there are more seniors than working people, meaning more pressure on health care and government pensions with fewer working age people to support them. The situation is exacerbated here because of extenuating circumstances. Goods and services are much more expensive to deliver because of our unique geography. Newfoundland and Labrador’s approximately 700 communities, spread out over 405,000 square kilometres, require a vast network of roads and ferries. By comparison, Nova Scotia has about half that number spread over 55,000 square kilometres. The per capita transfer of equalization payments to provincial governments must be a flawed system for that reason and maybe others. If the federal government is redistributing the wealth of Canada to address fiscal disparities, why do Quebec and Nova Scotia, both operating on a surplus, receive $11 billion and $2 billion www.downhomelife.com
respectively, yet Newfoundland and Labrador is running a deficit but gets nothing and won’t qualify until 2019? Under various settlement schemes, an estimated 250 villages disappeared and 30,000 people were relocated or dislocated. It was an emotionally charged system with pressure put on the minority to acquiesce. Many found the promised utopia was not reality; some even went back to their old communities for gainful employment. Many gave up not only their life savings, but other intangibles that have no price tag. A part of them was left behind, and the resulting emotional and psychological scars were carried to their graves. They were cut adrift by the very institutions they trusted and lived out a painful, bitter existence without any follow-up process, support mechanism or accountability. Bureaucrats have to realize it’s not per capita, or a number, but people they are pushing around; there must be some empathy extended to those whose lives are uprooted, especially those who are forced. As Bud Davidge wrote in his song “Outport People”: “If he’s unwillingly forced to decide, he’ll move without leaving and never arrive.” One point raised in the town hall meeting was that those small towns we want to abandon are also our culture. Tourists don’t come here to see another mall or Walmart. But that’s all that will be left if we set St. Brendan’s adrift. Got an opinion about the future of rural NL? Email editorial@downhomelife.com or write to 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3. July 2018
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features
For celebration.
For comfort. For love. For weddings, graduations, anniversaries. For the passing of a loved one or the birth of a child. A baptism, a birthday, a dance recital. These are just a few of the many reasons we give and receive flowers in our lifetime. Corner Brook’s Megan Lundrigan (above) of Petal Jewellery is acutely aware of the many memorable moments we mark in this manner. While some may view the short lifespan of a bouquet as a finite way to celebrate, Megan’s special skill set ensures that flowers, and the memories attached to them, will never wilt or fade. 46
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Incorporating flowers from special occasions, Megan Lundrigan’s jewelry isn’t just beautiful, it’s meaningful. www.downhomelife.com
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Petals from many wedding bouquets have made their way into Megan’s custom jewelry. “Petal Jewellery Shop started as a hobby from the desire to create an object that preserved flowers, specifically flowers from a momentous occasion that represent a special place in time,” Megan says. It began with her desire to preserve her own wedding bouquet. “I learned that there was nothing offered in Newfoundland that customized jewelry by using flowers,” she explains. And when she discovered the art of making jewelry with resin, she knew she’d found exactly what she was looking for. Fortunately for her, Megan is naturally creative. “Growing up, I always enjoyed working with my hands and using my imagination to create 48
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unique crafts,” Megan says. Her mother often encouraged her to explore her creativity, to try new techniques and play with unfamiliar art mediums, giving her confidence when approaching the foreign art of resin jewelry. After her new hobby received an overwhelmingly positive response on social media, it was Megan’s grandmother, an entrepreneur and businesswoman, who encouraged her to take the next step and start a business. She already had their interest, so why not take their orders? “Friends and family began sending me messages, asking if I could make similar pieces using their flowers,” she says. 1-888-588-6353
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Her first piece was for her best friend Sam Hackett, who also wanted to commemorate her wedding day with a custom piece. Sneakily stealing some petals from the bouquet, Megan preserved Sam’s flowers, practising different techniques and resin mixtures until she achieved her desired result: a necklace and earring set made of her wedding bouquet. Gifting these items was “a major tear jerker,” Megan says triumphantly. She regularly encounters similar warm, fuzzy feelings in her particular line of work. “My first commissioned piece was for a client who lives in my hometown, Corner Brook. After her loved one had passed away, she reached out to me and asked if I could help turn the flowers from the funeral service into a keepsake. We designed matching jewelry for all the women
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in her family,” Megan says. Another touching moment stemmed from Megan’s collaboration with a Labrador client, who ordered a special anniversary present created with her mother’s 31year-old wedding flowers. In another case, a Grade 4 class commissioned a custom piece for their beloved teacher. An Ontario woman sent Megan a collection of handwritten Valentine’s Day notes from her late husband, hoping Megan’s artworks could preserve the tearing paper and fading words. And a new Canadian requested a custom patriotic necklace in the shape of her home country, featuring the colour of her country’s national flag. Megan has created matching sets for a woman meeting her biological siblings, adopted at a young age; and she collaborated with the Newfound-
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land Girl Guides conference to make Wonder Woman themed pins complementing their slogan, “Every Girl is a Superhero!” She fondly remembers making more than a dozen pieces in memory of a little girl who passed away after her battle with cancer. Megan created a necklace in her name, with all proceeds donated to the Islaview Foundation, a charity her family created in her memory. “My creative process is learning the story and meaning behind a client’s flowers,” Megan says. “Each story symbolizes a moment in time, which helps direct the way I construct that unique piece.” She gives her clients creative control over the shape, size, colour, texture and opacity of their custom
pieces, always interested in tackling any special characteristics they may request. Thanks to social media, word of mouth, and pop-ups at craft fairs and more, Megan’s work will soon be available island-wide. Customers will be able to bring their flowers for custom pieces to drop-off locations at participating flower shops in Grand Falls-Windsor, Clarenville and St. John’s. Not all of Megan’s work is customized. An artist with her own unique vision, she also churns out jewelry created with her own specially curated stash of flowers. Megan’s work is currently inperson, over-the-phone and online through social media, with a comprehensive website in the works. When
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the site launches, customers will be able to virtually create their jewelry online and place an order for their own design. Whether it’s creating unique custom jewelry, or selling pre-made pieces, customer reviews have been highly positive, with many of Megan’s pieces evoking an emotional response. “The normal reaction is usually tears and a hug or an overwhelming ‘thank you,’” Megan says, adding that she sighs with relief when the client is happy with the product. Perhaps the best review comes from Sam, Megan’s very first customer and now loyal collector. “I love wearing my Petal Jewellery, from everyday wear to special occasions. It…holds special meaning and www.downhomelife.com
wonderful memories,” Sam shares. “I can honestly say I consistently receive compliments on the beautiful, intricate details of each and every piece.” Megan’s jewelry business and the impact it has on her clients nicely complements her day job, her chosen career of nursing, making it all the more rewarding. She says, “As a registered nurse I enjoy helping others, and although this work is very different than nursing, I know it will allow me to continue providing compassionate and empathetic care.” Find Petal Jewellery Shop at www.facebook.com/PetalJewelleryShop and www.petaljewelleryshop.com. July 2018
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Four years ago, Peter Byrne was in downtown St. John’s, NL and wandered into Gaze Seed Company. He hadn’t been inside the building in 20 years, but for whatever reason, that day he went in to see how the historic store was doing. Immediately, Peter could tell that business wasn’t going well and quickly learned the owner was planning to shut it down.
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any e Seed Comp Courtesy of Th
Tobias Romaniu k photo
The Gaze Seed Company building in its earlier days (left) and today. “So that’s when I made him an offer to buy. I was originally just buying Gaze Seed Company from him, so basically just the name. I wanted to try to keep the name alive. And long story short, we ended up buying the whole building, location, everything…It was a big gamble to buy this failing business,” Peter says. However, it wasn’t necessarily a total impulse buy: Gaze Seed Company was founded by Peter’s greatgrandfather, Ernest Walter Gaze. When E.W. Gaze first started the business it was a grocery store, but by 1925 it had evolved into Gaze Seed Company. The store sold vegetable and flower seeds, as well as various other supplies a successful farmer would need, and quickly gained a reputation for quality. E.W. Gaze eventually passed the www.downhomelife.com
business down to his daughter, Patricia Gaze, Peter’s grandmother. “In the ’60s and in the ’70s there was no other store like Gaze Seed Company in Newfoundland,” says Peter. That’s at least in part because under Patricia’s leadership, the company expanded into new retail territory – exotic pets and pet supplies. In the gardening off-season, Gaze Seed was the place to buy budgie birds, canaries and tropical fish until the 1990s when mainland pet stores took over the market. Patricia eventually sold the company in 1987 to the man Peter would buy it from in 2014.
Growing with the Times Since bringing Gaze Seed back into family hands, Peter’s been busy whipping things into shape for today’s market. There wasn’t even a July 2018
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Products on display at the Gaze Seed Company many years ago Courtesy of The Seed Company
computer in the building when he bought it. “So we brought it into the 21st century and put some stock in and started a huge social media campaign. And now we have access to 10,000 people with the hit of one button on social media,” he says. He also changed the name of the company, but retained a very important nod to its roots, calling it The Seed Company by E.W. Gaze. And like his grandmother, Peter plans beyond the gardening season to ensure year-round success. The store sells a variety of products, from locally made knitwear to Tilley hats and Swiss Army knives. “It’s not just a bag of soil and a package of seed. There’s a whole lot more.” Two years ago Peter also launched Flowers on Buchanan with two fulltime florists and two delivery drivers. And this summer he’s adding something to his company’s services that his grandmother and great-grandfather likely never saw coming – marijuana growing advice. With 56
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pot being legalized this year, Peter put some time into considering how that could impact his business. “I would say we’re probably 30 per cent into that business, but I’m not interested in selling marijuana or having customers come to look for a gram of marijuana. What I’m interested in is making sure that people have the best knowledge available to them in order to grow their medical marijuana or to grow their recreational marijuana. So we’ve done extensive research on lighting and soils and different nutrients,” he says. He wants to make sure people are growing it properly because it’s not just putting the seed in the soil and then boom, you have your plant. “There’s a technique to it,” he says. Legal marijuana is not the only change to the gardening world Peter has witnessed. “I would say 10 years ago the average customer for Gaze Seed Company would have been in their mid-to-late 60s. And now I would say the average age of our customers would be 25 to 35 – a 1-888-588-6353
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Today, The Seed Company by E.W. Gaze sells seeds of all kinds to customers increasingly interested in food security. Jackson McLean photo huge, huge switch in our demographics. And everybody is growing vegetables in raised beds. So the traditional rubber boot gardener that has always been our customer, that had a plot in their backyard, now everybody is growing vegetables in a raised bed.” Another societal shift that relates to Peter’s business is people’s desire to know where their food comes from, to know that it’s grown without pesticides or hormones. That and a concern for food security has more people starting their own vegetable gardens from seed. “They want organic soil, they want organic seeds, they want heirloom seeds,” Peter says. “They want to know what they’re feeding their children and what they’re eating themselves.” Moreover, gardening has become “a family affair. So the 25- or 30www.downhomelife.com
year-old that’s coming in, they have their children with them,” Peter says, “When the parents are buying the lettuce and the tomatoes and the spinach and the kale, the kids are buying the pumpkins and the squash that they want to try to grow.” While Peter’s upgrades to the business and his awareness-raising on social media have attracted a wealth of new customers, he still greets a good number of loyal patrons who are familiar with the business that’s been there for them at this same location for decades. In fact, some older clientele have come into the store with souvenirs from the company’s past, like old seed packages sold in the 1950s for 19 cents. While the start-up sown by E.W. Gaze in the 1920s has roots that run deep, it seems there’s still plenty of room to grow. July 2018
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Weed
This month, marijuana (weed) becomes a legal substance in Canada. The first government to decriminalize recreational weed in North America was the US State of Oregon in 1973.
“Widow’s weeds” is a term for the black clothes worn by women in mourning, a term and custom dating back to the era of Queen Victoria and how she wore black mourning clothes from the time of her husband Prince Albert’s death in 1861, until her own decades later in 1901.
A plant is a weed depending on whether it’s growing where it’s wanted or not. A dandelion is a common weed, but it is also an edible, drought-resistant plant that can be used in folk medicine. If it is useful, is it still a weed?
Weed, California is not named for a plant but for its founding lumber mill operator, Abner Weed. Among its main attractions is a popular trouting river, the mighty Klamath – which shares its name with a common weed that’s also known as St. John’s Wort.
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Rockweed is a common seaweed on the beaches of Newfoundland and Labrador and other shores of the North Atlantic. It has those air sacks that kids find fun to pop, and it’s a popular fertilizer for vegetable gardens, as well as packaging for live lobsters and baitworm shipments.
April 20 is an internationally observed civil disobedience day for weed enthusiasts where marijuana is an illegal drug. Commonly called 4:20 (as in optimal time of day to smoke marijuana), the legend of that code begins with five high school buddies in California in the 1970s, who met every day at 4:20 to smoke a joint and go over plans to find a hidden marijuana field they’d heard about (but never found).
The common Canada thistle, found coast to coast, is not native to this country. It is possibly one of the first weeds accidentally brought here on boats carrying early settlers from Europe and Asia, where it is a native plant. Its other names include creeping thistle, cursed thistle and lettuce from hell thistle.
Medical marijuana, which has been federally regulated in Canada since 2001, has been linked to improved health and/or quality of living in patients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, chronic pain, seizures, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma, to name a few uses. www.downhomelife.com
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Various locations, NL July 5-11 Young fans of TV’s “Splash’n Boots” will be thrilled to see their favourite characters live on stage at Arts and Culture Centres in Stephenville (July 5), Corner Brook (July 6) and Gander (July 7); Holy Heart Theatre in St. John’s (July 8); and the Grand Falls-Windsor ACC (July 11).
Grand Falls-Windsor, NL July 12-16
St. John’s, NL July 5-15 Keep your ears tuned for sounds from the 19th edition of the St. John’s International Sound Symposium. This year, more than 50 artists from six countries will converge in the province’s capital for this celebration of sound.
The Exploits Valley Salmon Festival kicks off with a five-course salmon dinner gala (July 12). Other events include a dance featuring music by The Tragically Hip tribute band, Courage (July 13); a gospel concert (July 15); and Grand Falls-Windsor/Family Day (July 16). The Kelly Ford Exploits Valley Salmon Festival Concert (July 14) features performances by Emerson Drive, Aaron Pritchett, 8 Track Favorites, The Punters and more.
Eastport Peninsula, NL July 8-15 The 2018 Roy Babstock Beaches Accordion Festival is guaranteed to get toes atapping at events like the Dine & Dance (July 11); “Future of the Accordion,” featuring young accordion players (July 12); “Salvage Stages,” featuring accordion and fiddle players making music on fishing stages in scenic Salvage (July 14), and more. 60
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St. John’s, NL July 15-21 St. John’s Pride Week kicks off with the Pride Parade, commencing at 3:00 p.m. at City Hall on July 15. Visit www.stjohnspride.ca for details on other events happening throughout Pride Week. 1-888-588-6353
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Holyrood, NL July 18-22 Come celebrate the 30th annual Holyrood Squidfest. The main event, The Beach Party, features Shanneyganock, The Bishops, The Once, Quote The Raven and Cripple Creek performing at Holyrood Festival Grounds on July 21.
St. John’s, NL July 19-29 Written by Robert Chafe and directed by Jillian Keiley is the play “Between Breaths,” the captivating story of the late Dr. Jon Lien, presented at the LSPU Hall. Known as the Whale Man throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Lien pioneered techniques for rescuing whales tangled in fishing gear, often risking his own life in the process.
Twillingate/New World Island, NL July 23-29 Join in the good times at the 38th annual Fish Fun & Folk Festival. There will be something for everyone: craft fair, street dance, bonfire, games, a variety of fish meals, children’s show, good old Newfoundland music, fireworks – and don’t miss the opening parade.
Deer Lake, NL July 20-22 The Deer Lake Strawberry Festival packs a whole lot of fun into three days. Enjoy performances by Billy and the Bruisers (July 20), The Jim Cuddy Band (July 21) and The Mixed Tapes (July 22) on Deer Lake Power Field. Plus, lace up for the 5K Summer Sprint (and 1K Kid’s Sprint), be wowed by Alleyoop Entertainment and much more. www.downhomelife.com
NL, NS, PEI July 27-31 See Bryan Adams live in concert during his country-wide tour. The Canadian crooner takes the stage at Mile One Centre, St. John’s, NL (July 27-28); Centre 200, Sydney, NS (July 30); and Credit Union Place, Summerside, PEI (July 31). July 2018
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Why drive-thru when you can boil-up?
Why eat in when you can eat out – outdoors, that is? And why get fast food when the meal is so worth the wait? Here, you can have your cake and eat it, too. And by that we mean, in Newfoundland and Labrador, you can have an amazing experience while eating some truly amazing food. Our time-honoured, traditional foodways lured the likes of CNN’s Anthony Bourdain and his “Parts Unknown” crew here last fall, after which they showcased a tantalizing taste of this province to the world. If culinary tourism was our best-kept secret, the secret’s out. Luckily, tour operators on the island and in Labrador have a smorgasbord of adventures, events and activities to satisfy foodie travellers – and travellers who are just plain hungry. So, whether you come from here, or you come from away, we hope you come hungry (and thirsty). On the following pages, we offer a sampling of culinary experiences, food festivals and beverage businesses ready to fuel your adventures and feed your soul.
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Culinary Adventures and Experiences Boil-up in Bonavista Bonnie Stagg photo
Bonavista Adventure Tours offers a trueblue Newfoundland and Labrador experience: the beach boil-up. Near the water’s edge, sample traditional fare – salt fish, lobster, caplin or cod tongues, for example – plus homemade bread and preserves. For an additional fee, add a foraging experience or a boat tour on the bay.
At the tip of the Baccalieu Trail, the dynamic duo behind Grates Cove Studios is known for fusing international cuisine with local fare. And they don’t just serve up these unique eats in their café, they’ll also show you how to make them. Folks who sign up for their NewfoundlandStyle Sushi cooking class, for example, get to try their hand at harvesting seaweed (weather-permitting), and making the traditional Japanese dish while incorporating local flavours in the form of candied scrunchions, dried caplin and, of course, seaweed. (Sushi not your thing? See their website for more delicious learning opportunities.)
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Robert Carter photo
Sushi by the Seashore
A Tall Order Located on Labrador’s south coast, Atlantic Canada’s tallest lighthouse will be welcoming dinner guests this summer. Inside the 33-metre-high Point Amour Lighthouse, built in the 1850s, diners will indulge in a multi-course feast, paired with wine, tea and coffee. (Event happens Fridays, July 6-August 31.)
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Cook Up Your Catch Join non-profit organization Fishing For Success for a Heritage Fishing Excursion in scenic Petty Harbour. During your time on the water, you’ll learn to fish the traditional way, with a hook and line; back on shore, get a lesson in filleting your fish and, for an additional fee, learn to cook it up.
Become a Chocolatier Chocolate lovers, rejoice! In addition to buying artisan treats at the Newfoundland Chocolate Company, you can learn to make them yourself. Sign up for a workshop at the Duckworth Street location and whip up a box of chocolates or learn to make delicious, creamy truffles.
Smoked Sensation Journey by boat to the north side of Labrador’s Sandwich Bay for a taste of Inuit culture during this two-hour tour offered by Experience Labrador. Disembark at Main Tickle for a visit with the Davis family, who still smoke trout as their ancestors did: in a tiny wooden smokehouse using blackberry bushes. Hear about the old days while enjoying a mug-up – complete with a taste of smoked fish. (For an added fee, enjoy a longer boat ride and drink in the view of the Big Land’s beach paradise: the Wundarstrand.)
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Fresh From the French Oven In a nod to the region’s heritage, warm, delicious loaves emerge from a French oven at Boutte du Cap Park on the Port au Port Peninsula. The outdoor, wood-fired oven is a replica of those that churned out bread for the French migratory fishermen who fished these shores centuries ago. Drop by the park seven days a week from June 23 until September 2 to watch this traditional baking process unfold. If you want to grab a free bite of bread, plan to arrive between noon and 2 p.m.
Tour Renowned Restaurants No one leaves this walking tour hungry. Since 2016, So-Full Food Tours has been guiding folks along the streets of downtown St. John’s, sharing the area’s fascinating history between five flavour-filled stops. During the 1.8-km stroll, participants sample the fare at O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub, Rocket Bakery, Newfoundland Chocolate Company, Yellowbelly Brewery & Public House, and Tavola.
Picnic in Twillingate Appropriate footwear, a healthy appetite and a camera: three things adventurers will want to bring for the “Outporter’s Picnic Tour,” offered by the Seaport Strollers. The 2-3 hour walking tour guides folks from Durrell to Burnt Island Tickle, where participants enjoy a picnic lunch amid remnants of a former fishing village and stunning coastal scenery (hence the camera). Rental of a backpack-style cooler bag (containing a gourmet wrap, fruit, water and some tastes of home) is included with admission.
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A Little Light Dining
Nathan Ryan photo
At Lighthouse Picnics in Ferryland, every seat is the best seat in the house. That’s because patrons enjoy gourmet sandwiches, fresh-squeezed lemonade, delicious salads and decadent desserts on the breathtaking grounds of the century-old Ferryland Lighthouse, a stone’s throw from the ocean. (Impromptu entertainment provided by waves, whales and icebergs.)
Cod Sounds photo
Taste Twillingate
Forage for Dinner The appetite for Lori McCarthy’s culinary tourism operation, Cod Sounds, is growing in concert with society’s increasing commitment to eating fresh and local. During Cod Sounds’ “Forage and Fire” excursion, participants pick wild edibles along the seashore under Lori’s expert guidance. The tour culminates in a meal cooked over an open fire, featuring local game or seafood plus bread, berry preserves and foraged finds. Learn more about local foodways by taking a Cod Sounds workshop.
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Offered by tour operator Experience Twillingate, the 3.5hour “From Sea to Plate” culinary experience ain’t no average boil-up. Enjoy a multi-course meal of foraged edibles and hand-harvested seafood, cooked with seawater over an open fire and served on artisan-made, nature-inspired dishware. Short on time? Opt for the one-hour “Tea by the Sea” excursion, serving up tea/coffee and snacks by the ocean’s edge.
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Signal Hill Picnics The Newfoundland Chocolate Company and the Hungry Heart Café are teaming up to offer Signal Hill Picnics this summer. Enjoy a sandwich and some sweets, all while drinking in one of the most iconic views in the province. Order yours online at newfoundlandchocolatecompany.com.
Laura Tobin photo
A Feed of Flummies Experience Labrador photo
Enjoy preparing and eating flummies – a type of bread traditionally made by trappers on the Labrador trapline – during this summer excursion offered by Experience Labrador. The 2.5hour outing guides adventurers to the base of the imposing Black Head, looming 502 metres above the town of Cartwright, where the traditional treat (drizzled with bakeapple sauce) is prepared outdoors over an open fire.
“Gorge” in Gros Morne Some of the National Park’s best restaurants take centre stage during Taste of Gros Morne Food Tours. The Finer Things Tour offers a taste of some of the fine dining options available in Norris Point and Rocky Harbour (The Cat Stop Waterfront Pub, Black Spruce Restaurant, Chanterelles Dining Room and Oceans Dining Room), while The Seaside Tour samples local favourites in Woody Point (Elements Restaurant, The Old Loft Restaurant and The Merchant Warehouse). Custom food tours are also available.
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Bake Buns in Battle Harbour The talented cooks responsible for keeping visitors to historic Battle Harbour, Labrador, well fed are prepared to part with one cherished recipe. Join them in the kitchen for a bun-making lesson and walk away with a Battle Harbour apron and, most importantly, the secrets behind their baking success. Aqua Labadie photo
Berry Good Time In St. Lunaire-Griquet on the Great Northern Peninsula, pay a visit to the Dark Tickle Company, where berries are serious business. At this economusée, the production process is on full display. Watch as local wild berries transform into jams, sauces, spreads and more. Outside, take a walk on an interpretive boardwalk that winds its way through the berry grounds. Dine on the fruits of this business’s labour at the on-site café, and purchase berry products in their gift shop.
Harvest Scallops Just a hop, skip and a jump from the Labrador border, on Quebec’s Lower North Shore, is Aqua Labadie, a scallop farming operation that offers hands-on experiences. Their Land and Sea Aquaculture Tour, offered in partnership with Tour Labrador, includes a boat tour in beautiful Salmon Bay, a lesson in scallop shucking and a peek behind the scenes of their operation. For an added fee, enjoy a seafood boil-up with wine.
Dinner and a Show LOCAL DINNER THEATRE EXPERIENCES
Spirit of Newfoundland • St. John’s Southern Shore Dinner Theatre • Ferryland Rising Tide Theatre • Trinity Grand Bank Regional Theatre • Grand Bank Twillingate/NWI Dinner Theatre • Twillingate Queen Street Dinner Theatre • Grand Falls-Windsor Hann’s Point Players Dinner Theatre • Lewisporte Da Koodens Dinner Theatre • Isle aux Morts Stephenville Theatre Festival • Stephenville & Port aux Basques Gros Morne Theatre Festival • Cow Head Great Viking Feast Experience • St. Anthony www.downhomelife.com
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Festivals of Flavour
Roots, Rants & Roars
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The Gathering Newfoundland and Labrador funnyman Shaun Majumder had the recipe for success when he launched The Gathering, a festival of fire, food and music, in 2012. Part of an ambitious plan to put his hometown of Burlington on the map, The Gathering now sees thousands flocking to the region each summer. They come for the upbeat atmosphere, live comedy and music, and to sample dishes prepared by some culinary greats. This year’s festival (happening August 23-25) includes chef hikes, shed crawls, a Jiggs’ dinner supper and much more.
Since it debuted in 2009, Roots, Rants and Roars has become one of the hottest tickets on the Bonavista Peninsula. The annual celebration of Newfoundland and Labrador food, culture, land and sea lures celebrity chefs from near and far to tiny Elliston, where they participate in culinary competition “Cod Wars,” lead food hikes, prepare a multicourse feast and more. Renowned local chefs, Mark McCrowe and Shaun Hussey, have already signed on to dish up deliciousness at this year’s festival (taking place September 14-15), with additional chef announcements to come.
Grand Toyota Perfectly Centered Culinary Festival This year marks the second instalment of Grand Falls-Windsor’s one-day festival of food. On August 18, an impressive line-up of Canada’s top chefs will occupy nine culinary stations, serving up locally sourced food, in the Joe Byrne Stadium. Chefs set to flex their culinary muscle this summer include John Higgins and Anne Yarymowich of The Food Network, plus homegrown talent Jeremy Charles and Roger Andrews, and many others.
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Songs, Stages & Seafood Patrons of this food festival, held each spring since 2013, enjoy delicious events like the NL Fishcake Championship, Chef’s Seafood BBQ, Salmon Dinner and more in beautiful Bay Roberts. Boasting a culinary team of more than a dozen talented chefs, the festival is a celebration of the sea and the culture surrounding it.
Mid Winter Bivver Held in the Exploit’s Valley, this annual winter festival pairs incredible snowmobiling with gourmet dining.
Eat The Hill Each January, White Hills Resort in Clarenville hosts Eat The Hill, a two-day festival of food, music and winter adventures.
Savour Food & Wine Festival This event, which marked its 11th edition at the Delta Hotel in April past, is a veritable smorgasbord of food and drink – as chefs, bakers, brewers and winemakers alike show off their skills.
From This Rock Culinary Tour Organized by the Restaurant Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, this province-wide initiative showcases the variety of foods grown and produced right here. Each fall, participating chefs travel to venues across the province to present an evening that celebrates local flavour.
Tombolo Multicultural Food & Craft Fair It’s the tastiest part of the annual Tombolo Multicultural Festival, which takes place each summer in the province’s capital. Taste dishes from around the world on July 8 (12 p.m. – 5 p.m.) at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre.
Plus, check out these deliciously named annual festivals Blueberry Festival (Brigus) Bakeapple Festival (Garnish) Bakeapple Folk Festival (Forteau) Strawberry Festival (Deer Lake) Partridgeberry Harvest Festival (Fogo) Bang Belly Festival (Trout River) Maple Festival (St. John’s) Trout Festival (Makkovik) Salmon Festival (Grand Falls-Windsor) Caplin-Cod Festival (Triton) Squid Fest (Holyrood) Musselbed Soiree (Lewisporte) Saltfish Festival (Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove) Lobster Festival (Cow Head) Crab Festivals (La Scie, Mary’s Harbour, Hant’s Harbour, New-Wes-Valley, Robinsons) www.downhomelife.com
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Sandra Lee Photography photo
Thirst Quenchers
St. John’s Beer Tours Back for a second season of sampling local brews is St. John’s Beer Tours, with five distinct tour itineraries offering a variety of experiences. The “Beers and Bites” tour, for instance, treats folks to pints and a feast at Mallard Cottage’s Beer Garden, followed by a tour and tasting at Quidi Vidi Brewery. Other tours include stops at Mill Street Brewpub, Yellowbelly Brewery – plus an evening of axe-throwing at Jack Axes and an invitation to a kitchen party.
St. John’s Brewfest The capital city’s craft beer festival pours up more than 100 craft beers from around the province, the country, the United States and as far afield as Europe. Besides beer, the two-day event (held this year in April) boasts live entertainment, mechanical bull rides and – because ya gotta eat – a poutine bar.
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Beer Expo Held annually in St. John’s, the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation’s Beer Expo features beers and ciders from around the world. The springtime event offers up more than 150 options, including new products, local and seasonal offerings, and drinks back by popular demand.
BrewSKI Craft Beer Festival Held at White Hills Resort in Clarenville, this winter festival is a celebration of local craft beer. On tap are events like Beer Yoga, Cooking with Beer, Beer 101, Breakfast with Brewers and, of course, the chance to sample suds from some up-and-coming local breweries.
CiderFest Newfoundland and Labrador’s inaugural CiderFest poured onto the provincial scene this year, debuting last month at Club One in downtown St. John’s. The twoday event, hosted by NL Promotions, offered up more than 30 ciders for sampling.
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Beverage Stops* THE FOLLOWING BUSINESSES ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, OFFERING TOURS, TASTINGS, ON-SITE PUBS – OR ALL OF THE ABOVE! Quidi Vidi Brewery St. John’s Yellowbelly Brewery & Public House St. John’s Rodrigues Winery Whitbourne Dildo Brewing Co. & Museum Dildo The Newfoundland Distillery Company Clarke’s Beach Port Rexton Brewing Co. Port Rexton Auk Island Winery Twillingate Split Rock Brewery & Stage Head Pub Twillingate Bootleg Brew Company Corner Brook *Booze News: A slew of craft breweries are slated to open within the next year – from the capital city to Labrador, and many points in between. Stay tuned!
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A gorgeous day in May
finds me driving at a snail’s pace on a back road in the Goulds, hoping I haven’t driven past my destination. Finally, I spot the yellow and white balloons tied to a tree I was told to keep an eye out for. I’m at Adelaide’s Newfoundland Honey Inc. to experience the wildflower reserve and meet some honey bees. I’m getting a quick look at their Honeybee Hike and a tour of the operation in advance of its June opening. Paul and Brenda Dinn formed the business last year after three years of recreational beekeeping. Paul explains they got started mostly by chance. A friend mentioned their dog loved to run through fireweed, a plant that can grow six feet tall and is found all over the Goulds neighbourhood of St. John’s. Initially, Paul worried it might be an invasive species that would take over his land. “I started reading that fireweed produces one of the best honeys in the world and it’s highly sought after. So then I started thinking, ‘Oh, I wonder if we should try getting into beekeeping.’ And we did,” says Paul. Last year they made enough honey to sell, so they got mason jars and did up some labels and went to the St. John’s Farmers’ Market. They only expected to have a handful of customers, but they sold all 300 bottles in an hour. The next week they returned with the rest of their honey and sold out again. What had started as a relaxing hobby and a way to get their own honey-fix had turned into a www.downhomelife.com
successful company. When they first got into beekeeping, the Dinns had three colonies; now they have 20, and expect to expand to between 60 and 100 by the end of this summer. Adelaide’s has become Paul’s full-time job and when she retires, Brenda will join him. It’s an “encore career,” as Paul calls it, something to do in their golden years. “You’ll never see beekeeping with us as this big industrial-style beekeeping, where they’ve got bees all crammed on a pallet and they’re lifting them with cranes and hoist them around. That’s not us. We want to do as natural beekeeping as possible, and low-impact beekeeping, so the bees are benefiting by being here, they’re doing well,” he explains. “We’d rather leave them with the majority of the honey and just sell a little bit to whoever, ya know?” It’s an approach that makes sense. After all, if you introduce too many honey bees to an area, the surrounding flowers can’t support them. July 2018
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Paul offers a peak inside hives during a tour of his honey bee operation. The name “Adelaide” honours Brenda’s mother, who’s thrilled to have the business named after her.
Amongst the Bees After getting sized for a beekeeping jacket, Paul advises me to pull my socks over my jeans so bees can’t fly up my leg. And then we’re out the door and into the backyard. His family has owned this 10-acre property for over 100 years, he tells me, but we’ll only explore a fraction of it. As we traipse along, I keep checking my feet to make sure I don’t step on any bees. Paul’s cautioned me that they like to drink from puddles and dew on the ground. Stopping at a group of hives, I zip up the jacket and pull the hood with the mesh screen over my face. It’s a precautionary measure, though; honey bees prefer not to sting people (and doing so kills them). “Bees actually recognize people. They’ll recognize our faces because they see us and they know we’re not a threat to them,” he says. Instead of stinging, they typically bump into you. 76
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With long gloves tugged up past my elbows, I watch the bees swarming, going in and out of the hives. Then Paul unpacks the smoker, a small circular can with a pump on the side. The smoke calms the bees, so it’s easier to check on the hives. Paul slowly pulls out each frame to see how honey production is going. “Do you still have your spoon?” he asks. I hand it to him and he scrapes some honey off the frame and passes it back for me to taste. It’s the best I’ve ever had. Paul is practically an encyclopedia 1-888-588-6353
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of apiary knowledge. Every hive is different; some could have a strong queen, while in another the queen could be failing. I’m surprised to learn that queen bees don’t exactly rule with the divine rights of kings. If the queen isn’t living up to the hive’s standards, they’ll turn on her. “A lot of people think the queen is the one in charge. But the colony…act as one organism, and they’ll make decisions for what’s best for the colony. So [if] that queen isn’t laying as much as she should or if she’s weak and not well, the colony will get rid of her and make a new queen.” Beekeeper’s Life As Paul explains, there’s a lot involved with beekeeping. “I’ll get up early in the morning and I’ll go down and I’ll just observe what the bees are doing from a distance. And if I see them just slowly coming out of the hive and not doing too much, it’s fine,” he says. “But if you see all of a sudden there’s a bunch of bees, maybe there was a mouse or a shrew or something trying to get in at the bees, at the honey. Shrews are actually the worst thing in the world for honey bees. In the wintertime, if they get in there they can actually kill an entire hive.” If something’s disturbing the bees, Paul will hang back to figure it out and then intervene, but beekeepers mostly leave them alone. The Dinns check the hives every 10 days or so to see how the bees are doing. And in Newfoundland at least, the bees appear to be doing just fine. Cut off from the mainland, it’s harder for diseases and parasites (such as the varroa destructor, a disease-carrying mite that feeds off the blood of bees) to reach local bee populations. Since www.downhomelife.com
our bees are generally healthy, they don’t need to be medicated, and that makes for great honey. “We’re really lucky in this province to have healthy honey bees, lots of wildflowers, the weather’s spectacular for bees. We’ve got all the right things that we really could do well from a business standpoint,” says Paul, adding continued success will depend on all local beekeepers taking appropriate precautions. “It’s a great thing going on, and it’s only going to grow and do well if people don’t be in a rush to bring in equipment or bees from other places,” he says. You’re Invited The Dinns aren’t keeping their buzzing business to themselves. They’re opening their land as a wildflower reserve and hosting Honeybee Hikes, like the one I took. The smallgroup hikes occur three times weekly to avoid stressing the bees. “Everything we do is to be in the best interest of the bees, because the last thing we want to do is lose them,” says Paul. They also started an adopt-a-hive program, where people pay a monthly fee to get experience managing a hive. It’s a way for people to find out if the hobby is right for them. It was definitely the right move for Paul. “To me, it’s the best thing I ever did. I love it. I mean, it’s just a way of life. It’s so relaxing. We’ll go down and listen to the bees, hear them and watch them going back and forth with pollen,” says Paul, adding the humming of the bees and the whiff of honey can be downright therapeutic. “We really are lucky that this happened at this time,” says Paul. “Things came together for us.” July 2018
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Across the archipelago where mountain foothills flow to fallow farmland and a sea of grass melts into saltwater strand, I pause to capture an image of travellers marching from lush pastures to cobblestone pebbles kissed by sand and surf. Wedged between both marvels of nature with miles on foot behind and more to go the next day, it is hard in that moment to say which is preferred. An elegant voice carries back in French, “J’aime également la mer et la montagne.” Seeing the mild curiosity on my face and aware of my lack of linguistic skills, a charming lady smiles and says that it means loosely, “I like the sea and the mountains equally.” In any language, I could not agree more. On this weekend in August 2017, as we settle into tents and enjoy a bonfire on a beach, the stunning scenery suggests we could be on a pristine stretch of sand in the Caribbean or
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perhaps some secluded location in continental Europe. I can’t help but smile, remembering we are only a 55-minute ferry ride from Newfoundland and Labrador’s Burin Peninsula, on the beautiful French islands of St-Pierre-Miquelon (SPM). The Portuguese discovered these islands in 1520, and world famous explorer Jacques Cartier claimed them for France in 1536. The islands changed hands several times before being returned to France for good in 1816. Today SPM remains the last of France’s once numerous North American possessions. (The islands attained the status of an overseas collectivity in 2003.) Know Before You Go SPM has its own time zone (half an hour ahead of Newfoundland), uses the Euro as its official currency
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(although Canadian money is widely accepted) and has European electrical outlets (remember to bring an adapter). Of course, French is the official language, but English is widely spoken in most tourist services and businesses. I’ve made several visits to SPM over the years for various reasons, each time wishing I’d had more time to take it all in. To help you make the most of your time on your next trip to the French islands, I’ve compiled my own personal top 10 list of things to see and do while you’re there. Remember to book passage and accommodations well in advance, and allow sufficient leisure time to enjoy the many attractions along the way, both in the French archipelago and on the scenic Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. Bon voyage!
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Take a Tour In SPM, there’s a tour for every age and ability. Several minivan tours chauffeur visitors to scenic lookouts for photography; for those who prefer to travel on their own steam, guided walking tours offer a great overview of the islands’ attractions. (For instance, a historical sites walking tour leaves from L’Arche Musée et Archives.) There are also opportunities to rent bicycles and see the islands this way. I brought my own bike along on one trip and found it a pleasant way to explore the islands on my own. St-Pierre (pop. 6,000) is slightly hillier than the much larger island of Miquelon (pop. 600), but both provide comfortable cycling for moderately experienced riders. Most hotels can arrange whatever sort of tour you’re interested in, and the St-Pierre Tourist Information Centre in Place du Général de Gaulle can provide maps, tour brochures and other helpful information.
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Visit l’Île aux Marins A short boat ride will bring you to l’Île aux Marins, an island off St-Pierre harbour, for a guided tour and hike (taking about 90 minutes). Arriving on this beautifully restored early pioneers’ island is like a trip back in time. Tour the small Archipélitude Museum (located in the former schoolhouse), the church, the Calvary and the remnants of a modern shipwreck on the beach on the back of the island. While awaiting the return boat, enjoy a light snack in the café.
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Learn About Prohibition The MusĂŠe HĂŠritage in St-
Pierre has a wide-ranging and eclectic mix of artifacts depicting life on the islands, including social, economic and religious development over the last 200 years. In particular, it has an excellent display of items from the glory days of rum running and the Prohibition era (1920-1933) in the United States. During those dry years, American gangster Al Capone, among other prominent figures of that time, frequented SPM.
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Must-Visit Museum L’Arche MusÊe et Archives is a sleek, modern facility offering numerous events, exhibits and workshops year-round. It houses both the Archives and the Museum of the Territorial Collectivity of SPM. One of the more unique historical displays, located in the lower lobby, is the guillotine, an infamous method of execution in a bygone era.
Get Ready, Get Set, Go! For distance runners seeking a challenge, one of the most unique
races to be found anywhere happens on the island of Miquelon. Les 25km de Miquelon starts on a sandy beach, moves onto a dirt road and then pavement before finishing in the town square. The race basically covers the length of the island, from Langlade to Miquelon, and travels along the haunting coastline for much of its route. The race is held annually in late June and the celebratory atmosphere (complete with a delicious community meal and live bands) that follows makes it a favourite destination race for runners from around the world. When I participated in 2013, I was one of 84 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to do so.
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Take a Hike If running is not your speed, a challenging but excellent two-day
hike (referenced at the beginning of this story) might be just the adventure you’re looking for. The Maison de la Nature in Miquelon and a local tour guide organize the journey, which takes adventurers roughly across the width of the island of Miquelon and to the highest point of land in the archipelago – plus a night of camping on a beach. The epic trek ends at the new Nature Interpretation Center, which features interactive displays on the geology, geography, climate, history and biodiversity of the islands. If you don’t have two days to spare, a number of shorter guided eco-walks also make for enjoyable excursions.
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Appreciate the Architecture Bring a camera and wander the
streets at your own pace, getting a closer look at the unique architecture and colourful streetscapes. Be sure to look out for the unusual house porches (called tambour), which often extend right out over the sidewalks. These structures are so famous they were depicted on a series of SPM postage stamps in 2001. (And speaking of postage stamps: SPM stamps are apparently prized by collectors, perhaps making the vintage post office building worth a visit.)
Celebrate Bastille Day Bastille Day (also known as la FĂŞte nationale) is celebrated on the 14th of July each year and commemorates the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille prison in Paris, which was a major turning point in the French Revolution. This date sees most of the population of SPM come out to celebrate with games, meals, special events and fireworks. 86
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Hop Aboard There is no shortage of boat tours in SPM. Take a Zodiac tour from St-Pierre to Langlade and marvel at the wildlife: you may see eagles, whales, seabirds galore, seals and horses on the sand dunes. And from the Zodiac, going ashore on the beach is an adventure in itself. Tours are also available aboard larger vessels, including a sailboat. And if you’re into scuba diving, there are opportunities for that as well.
Eat, Drink and Be Merry Bon appétit, because it wouldn’t be a trip to
SPM without a taste of France – and that’s exactly what you get on the islands. Forget your diet and indulge in the decadent pastries and quality wines. While visiting the bakeries, cafés, restaurants and charming shops (too numerous to list here), you’ll also get a sense of the ambiance and the friendliness of the people. Here you are in France, eating French cuisine, drinking French wine – while being made to feel right at home.
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All photos courtesy Manuels River
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A river in Conception Bay South will
once again run red as thousands of fishing bobbers race downstream this month. This year marks the 28th annual Manuels River Bobber Race, a fundraiser in support of the Manuels River Natural Heritage Society Inc. The registered charity promotes and helps protect the river area, which includes a protected fossil site. Manuels River is known far and wide in geological circles for its trilobite fossils, a long-extinct ancient marine anthropod, first discovered here in 1874 by T.C. Weston of the Geological Survey of Canada. Jillian Whittle, the Manuels River Natural Heritage Society’s executive assistant, recently chatted with Downhome about the upcoming festivities. The bobber race is one of their main fundraisers, with funds going towards operating costs. “That’s the one that gets all the community out,” says Jillian. “We have a lot of volunteer support, and support from the local businesses who help sell tickets.”
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In addition to the 28-year-old community race, there is a corporate bobber race, introduced four years ago. This year’s races both happen on July 7, with the corporate race set for 2 p.m. and the community race at 2:30 p.m. While races typically only last a few minutes, Jillian says they’ve planned a whole afternoon of fun. “We make a big event around the day. We have our kids’ carnival here…and there’s all kinds of fun games and activities for the kids, face painting, and the town of CBS is bringing a bouncy castle,” Jillian says. “So it’s a big family fun day here.” There will also be a concession stand with barbecued hotdogs and drinks. The kids’ carnival runs from noon until 3:30 p.m. But the main event is the bobber races. In the community race, for which 25,000 tickets are printed, each ticket costs $10 and buys one bobber. It also comes with a coupon booklet redeemable at businesses around town, including Bergs Famous Ice Cream, the local Coffee Matters, Mary Brown’s, A&W, Booster Juice and Jungle Jim’s. The value for all the coupons exceeds the cost of a bobber, so it’s a great deal, Jillian says. 90
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The first place winner from the community race gets a flight for two anywhere in North America (excluding Alaska and Hawaii); the secondplace prize (sponsored by Brian’s Auto) is $500; third place gets $250, donated by the Conception Bay South Main Street Business Improvement Association. In the corporate race, there are 200 tickets available for $100 each, three for $250 or 10 for $650 – in exchange for bobbers and advertising. The corporate race winner wins a corporate retreat at the Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre, a prize package from Ocean Quest and more. The festivities go ahead rain or shine. Torrential rain moved last year’s carnival indoors to the interpretation centre, but people still ventured outside in raincoats and umbrellas to watch the big moment. This year, winners of a school colouring contest will have the honour of releasing the community bobbers into the river. “We have this apparatus, for lack of a better word, that sits right in the river, and it’s a big box and we fill it with all the bobbers that everyone’s 1-888-588-6353
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Folks don’t just show up to the banks of the Manuels River for the bobber race. In 2017 over 31,000 people visited the geologically significant waterway. Courtesy Manuels River Natural Heritage Society purchased. So when it comes time for the race, someone has to actually pull the cord, and the bobbers all drop and slide down the river,” Jillian explains. The Town of CBS also plays an important role on race day. “A lot of the town councillors come and act as race marshals,” she says, adding that it’s their job to keep people out of the river when the race is happening. “Because there can be just a lot of people getting their feet wet in there,” she laughs. And while the event is a whole lot of fun, at the end of the day it’s also a www.downhomelife.com
major step towards fulfilling the organization’s three-part mandate: education, conservation and recreation. “Our main goal, of course, being to conserve the environment and the natural ecological stuff on the river, have our walking trails for the community,” Jillian says. “So everything that we make from the bobber race goes back into the centre, being able to fulfill its mission with education programs and the walking trails and keeping the river preserved and the habitats for the little creatures that live out around there.” July 2018
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With more than 17,000 kilometres of coastline and an abundance of inland rivers, ponds and lakes, boating has been intrinsic to the development and lifestyle of Newfoundland and Labrador. So is it any wonder that communities here make boating a part of their official summertime activities? Whether you want to jump in with both paddles or cheer on others from the sidelines, you’ll find yourself in a sea of family fun at any of the following boat races in Newfoundland and Labrador this summer.
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Mundy Pond Regatta, Mundy Pond, St. John’s. Revived last year after an almost seven-decade hiatus, this day-long garden party features two-person teams racing in wooden dories.
Annual Placentia Regatta, Southeast Arm, Placentia. It’s a full day of fixedseat shell racing, concessions and games for the whole family.
July 21
Annual Labrador West Regatta, Jean Lake, Wabush. Teams compete in Olympic-style rowing as fans cheer them on pondside while taking in food, drink and games.
Dory Race, Salt Harbour, Herring Neck. A highlight of the annual Herring Neck Dory Festival, the Saturday race features two-person teams in wooden dories pulling on the oars with all their might in a friendly fight to the finish.
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July 28
Annual Harbour Grace Regatta, Lady Lake, Harbour Grace. With the Placentia and Quidi Vidi races, this makes up the triple crown of fixed-seat rowing competition in NL.
July 28
August 12
Cardboard Boat Race, Champney’s West. A highly anticipated, fun part of the annual Champney’s West Days festivities (Aug. 10-12), participants race in homemade vessels made of cardboard and duct tape.
Bonne Bay Regatta, Woody Point, Gros Morne National Park. The Regatta is a multi-day summer festival running July 22-29, with a lineup of family friendly activities and community meals. The dory race takes place at the waterfront on Saturday, July 28.
August 1
The 200th Royal St. John’s Regatta at Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John’s (weather permitting). The oldest continuing sporting event in North America, this year’s bicentenary is expected to draw a record number of teams and enormous crowds lakeside for all the excitement, food and games of a “day at the races.”
Courtesy Town of Paradise
August 18
SunSplash Paddle in Paradise, Octagon Pond, Paradise. On this annual family fun day of games and concessions, the highlight is the incredible dragon boat race in support of breast cancer survivors. Last year’s event saw more than 500 paddlers compete.
August 18
Cathy Murphy Photo
Great Labrador Canoe Race, Goose River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay. A celebration of Labrador’s trapping heritage in an area popular with paddlers, this race attracted 24 teams last year.
August 10-11
During Francois Days, there are races for all ages. On August 10, the kids show ’em how it’s done in their version of dory races. On August 11, the adults put their oars in the water for the grown-up challenge.
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Courtesy DestinationLabrador.com
July 2018
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A couple of summers
ago I embarked on a journey of discovery, which highlighted for me the First World War military careers of two members of my family. I signed up for a tour, organized by the Newfoundland churches and Craig Travel, of the battle sites of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in that war, culminating in the 100th anniversary ceremony of the battle of Beaumont-Hamel held there on July 1, 2016. At the outbreak of the war, my grandfather, Lt.-Col. Alexander Montgomerie, took a four-year leave of absence from his position as manager of Furness Withy Company in St. John’s, a leading shipping firm doing business on the Atlantic seaboard, to serve as secretary of the recruiting committee for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. He helped recruit the First Five Hundred men to be sent overseas to battle. Subsequently, when the decision was made to raise further contingents, the work of training and administration was placed in his hands, requiring visits to Halifax and Windsor, as well as Scotland. For his war services he was created O.B.E. in 1918 and C.B.E., military division, in 1919. This latter medal, still in my possession, will be donated to The Rooms Archives in St. John’s, the repository of all Royal Newfoundland Regiment records. After the war, my grandfather moved to Halifax, NS with his family,
where he resumed managerial duties with Furness Withy. In 1925, he was elected MLA for a term. He took his civic duties seriously: president of the Halifax Board of Trade 1923-24, president of the Nova Scotia publicity bureau in 1924, and a national councillor of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce 1928-29. Sadly, he died in 1932, at age 49, from a sudden illness. He is buried in Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax. Back to my journey: Our base for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment tour was the town of Noyon, located just north of Paris. From here, 38 Newfoundlanders set out each day with their Canadian guide, Glenn Edmonds, in search of battle sites associated with the regiment. In particular, we visited those places that Padre Thomas Nangle, the regiment’s chaplain, chose to commemorate five of the regiment’s battle sites in France and Belgium. It was he who designed a bronze caribou
(left) The bronze caribou memorial honouring the Royal Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel, France. (above) C.B.E. military division medal awarded to Lt.-Col. Alexander Montgomerie for his services during the First World War. www.downhomelife.com
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Taxi driver Georges Deplanque and the author, John Montgomerie, in Arras before visiting the grave of Sgt. Graham Duff in Ablain-St. Nazaire, France. (the emblem of the regiment) memorial to be placed in Monchy-le-Preux, Beaumont-Hamel, Courtrai, Masnieres and Gueudecourt. BeaumontHamel is the largest site, the one that saw the start of the Battle of the Somme (July-November 1916). July 1, 1916, represents the single bloodiest day of the war for the British forces, with 58,000 losses, and a devastating day for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. We visited Beaumont-Hamel two days before the official commemoration ceremony, allowing us time to inspect the site where the regiment suffered a terrible loss of 85 per cent of its troops within half an hour, early on the morning of July 1. Our personal ceremony of wreath-laying at the bronze caribou memorial was led by Archbishop Martin Currie, one of our own clergy; a liturgy of remembrance was read, to which we responded nine times: “with grateful hearts, we remember them.” At all five memorials, we laid a wreath of poppies and forget-me-nots (the flower of the regiment) and sang the “Ode to Newfoundland.” Walking 96
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through the well-preserved network of trenches in what is now a national park maintained by the Canadian government, I found myself imagining the terror of facing German machine guns, shrapnel and barbed wire on that fateful morning 100 years ago. On July 1, 2016, the formal ceremony of remembrance occurred at Beaumont-Hamel, organized by the government of Canada. The music provided by the RCA Band, the marching of the Newfoundland cadets, a colour party of flags, the presence of Prince Charles and Camilla, the participation of the young people, the speech by Prime Minister Trudeau (via satellite) – all provided an air of solemnity to the proceedings. Once the dignitaries left, we were given cornflowers to deposit with the wreaths and flowers already laid at the memorial. These seven days provided us with an acute sense of the great suffering endured by the people of France and Belgium. Each day our bus passed by cemeteries, memorials and monuments – graphic reminders of this immense conflict. All the cemeteries are immaculately maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). It is remarkable that between 2014 and 2018, an extensive calendar of events has been prepared by the Somme Departmental Council to commemorate this war that happened 100 years ago. We visited four of the 11 museums in the area devoted to the war. At Vimy Ridge, where shrapnel and shells in the fields still pose a threat, 1-888-588-6353
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a visitor centre was being built and due to open by April 2017, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. In Ypres we visited Essex Farm Cemetery and the location where Canadian Dr. John McCrae, author of “In Flanders Fields,” did his work. We walked to the Menin Gate in Ypres, which records the names of 55,000 missing British Empire soldiers, to witness the Ceremony of the Last Post, which has been carried out nightly at 8:00 p.m. since 1927, with five buglers and the laying of wreaths. Most impressive, however, was the countryside, where wild poppies still grow in abundance. Leaving my tour group, I ventured to Arras in search of the grave of a cousin, Sgt. Graham Duff, who was killed on April 27, 1918, age 21, in the trench warfare that followed the Canadian capture of Vimy Ridge. I learned of Graham’s existence and fate when I visited another cousin in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 2008. There in the Presbyterian cemetery I found a marker identifying Graham as a war casualty whose body was buried in France. With the assistance of the CWGC, I gained more information on Graham: though born in Newfoundland, he enlisted on September 16, 1915, with the Second Brigade, Canadian Garrison Artillery in Charlottetown, PEI, where he had been a 19-year-old bank clerk. Once in Arras, I contacted the tourist bureau, as I needed someone local to drive me to the nearest cemetery maintained by the CWGC. They introduced me to my unilingual taxi driver, Georges Deplanque, and he www.downhomelife.com
Entrance to Sucrerie Cemetery in Ablain-St. Nazaire, France, which contains the grave of Sgt. Graham Duff took me to Sucrerie Cemetery (named for a nearby sugar refinery, which is now a farm) in the village of Ablain-St. Nazaire, 13 kilometres north of Arras. From this small cemetery, one gets a panoramic view with the massive Vimy Ridge and Notre Dame de Lorette monuments in the distance. We found the headstone, with a rose bush in full flower beside it. There I planted two Canadian flags, signed the guest register and silently commended Graham for the life he had given. From here, we travelled to Notre Dame de Lorette Cemetery, the largest cemetery in France (42,970 dead). A monument across the road, the Ring of Remembrance, is one of the largest memorials in the world. It records 580,000 names in alphabetical order, regardless of rank and nationality. I found my cousin Graham listed simply as “DUFF, G.” My European journey was done, its task of honouring two of my family members completed. As well, I acquired a renewed appreciation for the conflict, which was supposed to be the Great War, “the war to end all wars.” July 2018
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food & leisure the everyday gourmet
A “Big Easy”
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the everyday gourmet By Andrea Maunder
Andrea Maunder, locovore, wine expert and pastry chef, is the owner and creative force behind Bacalao, a St. John's restaurant specializing in "nouvelle Newfoundland" cuisine. www.bacalaocuisine.ca
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I have many fond foodie
memories of New Orleans. The Big Easy, as they call it, is one of my favourite US cities. The laissez-faire vibe, jazz and blues buskers, aromas of chicory coffee and beignets, warm French Quarter strolls, bustling French market with BBQ shrimp and so many other food stands – and the restaurants! Cajun and Creole delights abound, from the finest of dining to corner Po-Boy (fried oyster sandwich) and Muffuletta sandwich stands. It’s impossible not to eat well. When the warm weather comes to Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s so nice to get out and hike the trails, plan an afternoon on the beach or take a little drive and look out over some gorgeous ocean vista – with a picnic! The Muffuletta is the perfect picnic sandwich. It’s packed with flavours and transports beautifully because it’s made in a whole loaf, then cut in wedges to serve. In fact, the best part about a Muffuletta is that it’s supposed to sit, compress and marinate all together. By design, it ain’t no soggy sandwich. A bottle of wine or lemonade to wash it down and a bit of chocolate to finish up, and you’ll be embracing that wonderful New Orleans mantra, “Laissez les bons temps rouler” or “let the good times roll.” The best bread to use is a 10-12 inch round supermarket Italian-style loaf, something not too crusty to bite into. But you could certainly make it on individual Kaiser or hoagie-style rolls, or even a full oval or square loaf. The olive-vegetable salad filling is the defining characteristic of a Muffuletta. You can make the olive salad up to a week ahead and the sandwich is great made the day before, so picnicking is really easy and hassle free! July 2018
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Muffuletta Sandwich For the olive salad 1/2 cup green olives pitted, drained, roughly chopped (or pimento-stuffed Manzanillas) 1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted, drained, roughly chopped 1/3 cup pickled mixed vegetables 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, drained, roughly chopped 2 tbsp drained, pickled hot peppers, chopped (Pepperoncini are best, but jalapeĂąo or banana peppers are fine) 1 tsp capers, drained, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 rib celery, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 1/2 green onion or handful of chives, thinly sliced
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried) 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp chile flakes 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1/3 cup olive oil
For the sandwich One 10-12 inch round Italian loaf or 4 Hoagie or Kaiser rolls 12 oz mixed Italian deli-style meats (salami, pepperoni, copa, mortadella, capicollo – spicy or mild, a mixture is nice) 8 oz mild sliced cheeses (provolone, mozzarella or smoked mozzarella)
Make the olive salad by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl. The pickled mixed vegetables are sold by the jar in most supermarkets, as are roasted red peppers. But if you can’t find them or would like to make your own, the recipes are included with this column as my latest blog entry on EverydayRecipes.ca. Slice the bread horizontally. Pull a little of the crumb from the interior of the top and bottom to make room for the filling. Spread half the olive salad on top and half on bottom. Layer in meats and cheeses. Place top on loaf, press down a little and wrap firmly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Cut into 4 wedges and rewrap to take on your picnic. Serves 4 generously. 100
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everyday recipes.ca
With their pretty colours and sweet, juicy, refreshing taste, melons are the fruit of summer. And, as the following recipes show, there are so many delicious ways to enjoy them.
Grilled Cantaloupe 1 tsp pepper 6 pcs cantaloupe, sliced 1" thick 12 pcs of prosciutto
Glaze 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup honey 3/4 tsp chili flakes 1 tsp salt
Mix together the glaze ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce by about 25% (the mixture should be starting to get syrupy at this point). Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, wrap each piece of cantaloupe in two pieces of prosciutto (skewer to secure the meat, if necessary). Preheat, scrape, clean and oil the BBQ/grill. Once the grill is hot, cook each piece of melon until there are grill marks on each side of the meat. Brush with glaze and flip over to caramelize the glaze slightly. Do this twice on each side of the melon. Remove from the grill and serve immediately. Yield: 3-6 servings
All of our recipes are brought to you by the fantastic foodies in Academy Canada’s Culinary Arts program, led by instructor Bernie-Ann Ezekiel.
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Melon & Shrimp Salad Salad
Dressing
1 cup Santa Claus (aka Christmas) melon, diced 1/2" thick 1 cup watermelon, diced 1/2" thick 1 1/2 cups baby shrimp 1/2 cup tomato, diced 1/2" thick 1/2 cup green onion, sliced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped 3 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp celery salt
Place all salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Toss everything together and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to allow the flavours to meld. Yield: 4 servings
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Quick-Pickled Melon Rind 2 cups watermelon & canary melon rind, skin removed (the part between the coloured flesh and the rind) 2 tsp kosher salt, coarse 1 cup red onion, sliced thinly
Pickling Liquid 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tsp pickling spice 1 tsp kosher salt 1 cup water 1/2" fresh ginger, sliced
Mix together the melon rind, onion and salt. Set aside for about a half hour while you prepare the pickling liquid. Mix all the pickling liquid ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes and remove from heat. Pack the melon mixture into a glass jar large enough to hold 3-4 cups. Pour the hot liquid in the jar and allow everything to cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Yield: 3-4 cups of pickles
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Watermelon Chicken 1 baby watermelon, top removed and scooped out to 1" thick around (eat the scooped watermelon!) 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped in 1" cubes
Sauce 1 2 1 1 2
tbsp red chili powder tsp turmeric powder tsp salt tsp coriander, ground tsp cumin, ground
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated 2 tsp fresh garlic, grated 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped 1 red onion, chopped 4 green onions, chopped 1/2 jalapeño, minced 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2 cup cheese curd/ricotta cheese
Mix together all the sauce ingredients and stir into the chicken. Cover and allow to marinate for 1 hour in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Fill the watermelon with the chicken mixture, replace the top and “pin” it in place with toothpicks or skewers. Place the melon in a pan that will allow it to sit upright (make a foil collar for it if you have to). Bake until the very centre of the chicken mixture is 165°F (at least 2 hours) – very important for food safety to reach this temperature. Serve immediately over rice. Yield: 4-6 servings
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Triple Melon Cocktail 3/4 cup watermelon balls 3/4 cup honeydew balls 3/4 cup cantaloupe balls 1 L purĂŠed melon (400 ml watermelon, 300 ml cantaloupe, 300 ml honeydew) 1 tbsp fresh mint, chiffonade 1/4 cup lemon juice Juice from 1 lime 1/2 cup white rum 2 tbsp white sugar
Thread the melon balls onto BBQ skewers (about 2 of each kind per skewer), and freeze. Mix together the remaining ingredients and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Pour the cocktail into 8 oz mason jars, place a frozen melon skewer in each and serve immediately. Yield: 6 cocktails
For printa recipe ca ble rds visit
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Watermelon-Filled Chocolates Filling
Coating
1/2 cup watermelon purée 1/4 tsp rum extract 1/8 tsp cardamom, ground 6 cups icing sugar
3 cups dark chocolate 2 tbsp shortening
Mix the purée, extract and cardamom together. Stir in icing sugar (this will become difficult and you will eventually need to knead it in like bread dough – it’ll be quite stiff). Portion out the filling into the desired size for chocolates and place them in an airtight container in the freezer while you prepare the coating. Mix the chocolate and shortening in a glass bowl and microwave for short bursts of 20-30 seconds, stirring at each interval until the chocolate is just melted. It should not be a hot mixture at all. Using skewers or forks, dip the watermelon centres in the chocolate, drain off excess chocolate and place on parchment paper to set fully. Yield: 2-3 dozen small chocolates
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Cantaloupe Curd 2 cups cantaloupe purĂŠe 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup water 4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch, sifted 2 tbsp butter
Place the purĂŠe, juice and water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring nearly to a boil. Remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Temper the egg mixture with the hot liquid (add just a little liquid at first to warm up the eggs without cooking them, then combine fully), return to the heat and allow to come to a boil, stirring the whole time. Once the mixture has boiled for about 20-30 seconds, remove it from the heat and add the butter. Whisk until the butter is melted and let cool completely. Chill and serve with fresh scones or as a pie filling. Yield: approx. 1L of curd
e intabl For pr cards e recip it vis
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Æbleskiver
(Danish Pancake Puffs)
Puffs
1 egg white, whipped to soft peaks
1 1/4 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp cardamom, ground 1 tbsp + 2 tsp sugar 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 4 tbsp butter, melted 1 egg yolk
Jam
For the jam: Mix the purées, sugar and lemon juice together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Once fully thickened, set aside off the heat, but keep the jam warm. For the puffs: Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter and egg yolk. Adding dry to wet, whisk the ingredients together until they are just smooth. Fold in the whipped egg white. Heat up your æbleskiver pan (see note at the end) over medium heat and brush each hole in the pan with a liberal amount of melted butter. Fill each hole about 90% of the way with batter. When the batter starts to bubble a little around the edges (much like pancakes), use a BBQ skewer inserted in the wet batter to “hook” the edge of the puff and pull it up perpendicular to the pan (kind of like flipping it over halfway – the batter will pour out of your puff to refill the dip in the pan). Once the crust forms again, do another partial flip, more batter will pour out, etc. Do this once or twice more to try and create a ball…this takes practice! Once the
ball has formed, keep flipping them over to ensure they don’t burn while the batter fully cooks. (Alternatively, you can just flip it over all the way the first time – the final product will be more oblong than round, though.) Serve hot with the warm jam and sifted icing sugar. Yield: approx. 1 1/2 dozen puffs
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1 1/2 cups watermelon purée 1/2 cup strawberry purée 1/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch (dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water)
Note: If you don’t have a traditional æbleskiver pan, a well-greased eggpoaching pan (the one with the dips that look like a half sphere) will do the job.
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food & leisure
All photos courtesy The Saunders Family
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Free time isn’t all
it’s cracked up to be. Lillian Saunders learned that lesson the hard way this winter, after a fire destroyed The Badger Diner, the restaurant she owned with her husband, Frank, for 35 years. “What do you do with your time when you got nowhere to go?” asks Lillian. “I tell you, it’s not nice.” So the recent reopening of the beloved eatery – an institution in Central Newfoundland, both for locals and drivers traversing the island – didn’t just mark a return to work, it meant a welcome return to life as usual for the Saunders family. (left) After the Badger Diner was reduced to rubble and ashes, the Saunders family rallied to renovate a new location for their beloved eatery – known especially for its meal of fish and chips. (above) Frank and Lillian Saunders pose in the new Badger Diner Bar & Grill. On a shelf behind them sits their award for serving the province’s best feed of fish and chips (decided by popular vote in a 2014 contest hosted by Downhome). Beside that is a vase Lillian’s late mother crafted and a Chinese figurine gifted to her by her late father – two precious items she saved from the fire. www.downhomelife.com
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Lillian fled her diner in such a hurry, she left behind her car keys, coat and handbag.
The Fire
On the evening of January 14, 2018, Lillian was closing up shop for the night when she heard a strange noise. Upon investigation, she was horrified to discover the restaurant’s stock room ablaze (later determined to be an electrical fire that started inside the walls). With the flames spreading fast, she grabbed two family heirlooms and fled her longtime place of business. Despite the best efforts of fire fighters, within a couple of hours the restaurant – hailed as serving the province’s best meal of fish and chips in a contest held by Downhome magazine in 2014 – was reduced to rubble and ashes. “The only thing left standing was the chair that I sat on for the last I don’t know how many years,” says Lillian. “Everything was flattened right around it…I should have took a picture.” A few weeks later, Lillian turned 61 – an age when most are considering retirement. But instead of calling it quits and walking away, she and Frank decided to start over. 112
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Back in Business
While she says it wasn’t feasible to rebuild from the ground up there was, in her opinion, an even better option, and it was just 20 minutes down the road in Grand Falls-Windsor. Lillian’s own parents constructed the building back in 1981, from which they ran a restaurant called Loung’s Garden (Loung being Lillian’s maiden name). “They came here and they built it and they had an awesome business going,” says Lillian – until the divided highway went through and disrupted traffic flow to the business. Defeated, the Loungs begrudgingly shuttered their eatery. “Mom and Dad always said they wanted to see the place work again,” says Lillian. Although she and Frank eventually purchased the vacant building from her parents and ran it as a bar (called Frank’s Place), she sees its recent transformation back into a restaurant as the true fulfilment of their dream. In the months since the fire, the building’s interior has undergone 1-888-588-6353
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The newly renovated dining room in the Badger Diner Bar & Grill, located at 150 TCH Exit 17 in Grand Falls-Windsor
extensive renovations, much of it done by Frank and the couple’s sons. “We wanted this nice family atmosphere,” says Lillian. “We wanted somewhere you can bring your family for special occasions.” It’s a bigger space than the former venue, and it has a bigger name to match: The Badger Diner Bar & Grill. Lillian says she’ll be adding some additional menu items over time, including Jiggs’ dinner on Sundays – but one thing customers can rest assured will be staying exactly the same is her prized fish and chips recipe. “I’m not going to part with that for nothing,” says Lillian proudly. She admits being named the purveyor of the “very best fish and chips in Newfoundland and Labrador” four years ago was a boon for her small business. Her award was lost in the fire, but a replacement now sits on a shelf in her new establishment, alongside the two family heirlooms she managed to escape with that January night. Several of the diner’s original staff www.downhomelife.com
members have reprised their roles in the new restaurant, for which Lillian is extremely grateful. She’s also grateful for the tremendous support she’s received from her customers. “I can’t believe the messages that I got. People messaged me all the time: ‘When are you going to open? Can’t wait to see you. I miss you,’ and all this,” says Lillian. A contest for restaurant gift certificates held on The Badger Diner Bar & Grill’s Facebook page shortly before opening drew more than 1,000 entrants, and hundreds tuned in to watch the live draw. Back at work since mid-May, she imagines her mother and father, who both passed away six years ago, would be pleased and honoured to see their old restaurant back in business. And it looks like it might just remain in business for at least a few more years yet. “I’ve been peeling potatoes since I was five, been working in a restaurant since I was 14, and I’m 61 now. I might be there till I’m 70,” says Lillian. “I’m going to give it my all.” July 2018
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food & leisure down to earth
Landscaping for
Living How new homebuilders can work with what they have to create a functional, unique and low-maintenance landscape By Ross Traverse
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It is unfortunate that many people destroy the natural landscape when a new house is being built. Preserving the natural landscape would not only reduce the cost associated with the establishment of an artificial landscape, but also reduce the time spent on maintenance. And consider the climate in which you live – in Newfoundland and Labrador, for example, our summers are short in the garden and winters, with nor’easters and heavy snowfall, are long. A landscape plan for Florida or California would not be very practical for Newfoundland and Labrador. When you develop a landscape plan for a new house, you should take advantage of any natural features on the site. Keep as many of the native trees as possible, not just for privacy, but also for shelter and for shade. Trees that block the cold winter winds help reduce your home heating costs, and trees that provide some shade help keep your house cool in summer. The native white spruce can be trimmed to make an attractive evergreen hedge that provides privacy and security, can mark a property boundary and will create a windbreak. Small, two- to three-foot white spruce trees can be transplanted from an open area in the wild early in the spring. When they get to the desired height they can be trimmed to make a formal hedge or allowed to grow together as a tall windbreak. Does your plot have a natural cliff or large boulder? Use it as a backdrop for a rock garden, a pleasant place to sit, or to create a waterfall in the garden. A bog to some is something to drain and fill in. Save that expense and effort by recognizing how it can contribute to your garden design. Plants that grow in bogs are unique and add interest to your landscape. There are many attractive www.downhomelife.com
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plants that grow naturally in a bog, including several species of orchids. The native pitcher plant (our provincial flower) and the sundew both thrive in bogs, where they attract and feed on insects (another bonus!). Access to a natural bog can be provided by wooden walkways. Many people like to have a water feature in the garden. You may be fortunate enough to have a small pond or a natural depression that can be made into a pond. A synthetic liner can be used to retain the water and a specially designed pump enables you to create a waterfall with a stream. You should try to preserve and enhance any native vegetation you have growing around your property. Create meandering pathways, like a park’s walking trails, through the natural vegetation by laying down landscape fabric and then covering it with class A road gravel, bark chips or other material. Native perennial flowers, shrubs and trees can be
transplanted along the pathways. They can be identified and marked during the summer for transplanting early in the spring. The one thing I’m not likely to recommend for a landscape plan is a lot of lawn space. Mowing the lawn is probably the most time-consuming part of maintaining the landscape around your house. In addition to mowing, the lawn grass has to be maintained with lime and fertilizer on a regular basis. The lawn should be designed for easy maintenance. Reduce the amount of lawn coverage by creating areas planted with perennials, shrubs and trees. Make them separate from the open lawn, so that you don’t have the time-consuming chore of weaving your mower around these trees, shrubs and flowerbeds, or doing extra work with a trimmer. Planting areas can be constructed as a large perennial border with some annuals for extra colour. A mass planting of the same variety of shrubs will be low
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A backyard bog can be a design feature, with interesting plants that thrive on marshes – like the pitcher plant. maintenance and provide an impressive display. Shrubs like spirea, holly, cotoneaster and shrub roses are easy to maintain. Mulch this area to keep weed growth, and your work fighting it, to a minimum. These areas should be separate from the lawn, with a distinct border around them (composed of mulch or stone, for example) to make it easier for mowing and other maintenance work, such as keeping grass from growing inside the planting area. When planning your landscape, don’t forget about parking space. It is very important to plan a convenient and functional driveway. It is inconvenient and dangerous if you have to back out of the driveway onto a busy street, for example. Instead of a sprawling front lawn you have to mow, weed and fertilize, remove part of it to create an L-shaped driveway with turnaround space. Or if the property is large enough, create a www.downhomelife.com
circular driveway wide enough so that cars can park on one side of the driveway as well as drive through. The area between the street and the circular driveway can be made attractive with trees and shrubs. Finally, in a northern climate such as Newfoundland and Labrador’s, your landscape should be designed with snow clearing in mind. Avoid planting trees and shrubs in areas where you push the snow for storage. In those areas you can plant perennials and annuals, which will die down during the winter and not be damaged. Avoid planting a hedge next to the driveway because it can act as a snow fence, which will actually dump snow into the driveway. Ross Traverse has been a horticultural consultant to gardeners and farmers for more than 40 years. downtoearth @downhomelife.com July 2018
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reminiscing flashbacks
Fallen Soldier
Private Daniel Connors of Pouch Cove, NL enlisted in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment at age 23. He was reported missing in action on April 14, 1917, during the Battle of Monchy-Le-Preux, and was later presumed dead. Gerry Connors, Robertville, NB
BeaumontHamel Boy
Private Cyril Sceviour of Exploits, Notre Dame Bay, NL was one of the lucky ones; he made it out of the bloody battle at Beaumont-Hamel wounded, but alive. The fisherman enlisted in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment at age 25. Phil Sceviour, St. John’s, NL
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Forestry Unit Friends
From left, Selby Anthony, Lance Maye and Frank Anthony of Pilley’s Island served in the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit during the Second World War. During his time in Scotland, Lance met and married Jane Christie and the couple eventually moved to Ontario. “In 1952, while working for the local steel company, a steel slab fell on my papa and paralyzed him from the waist down. At that time the doctors gave him six months to live, but he had such strength and determination that he lived a full life,” writes the submitter. “I grew up knowing that with love, courage and drive, anything was possible. My papa lived a modified version of the life he had planned for himself, and I never heard him complain or have any self-pity.” Laura Erickson, Hamilton, ON
This Month in History In the mid-1900s, the Newfoundland and Labrador media had their own organization, the Newfoundland Press Club. Membership was open to all employees of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations that covered public affairs in the province. On July 12, 1949, the club held its first formal meeting and, according to The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, its head office was in St. John’s. Meetings took place throughout the city, finding space on Water Street and Springdale Street, in hotels and even breweries. Premier Joey Smallwood was the club’s first honorary president (before entering politics he was a journalist). Smallwood held that position until 1954, when he was kicked out for trying to put restrictions on how the media covered his government. He had even instructed government employees not to talk to reporters. By the ’70s, the Newfoundland Press Club had been disbanded and later attempts to revive the organization failed. 1-888-588-6353
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reminiscing
Collective Memories
Petty Harbour Fishery Childhood memories and occupational folklore with Michael Hearn By Terra Barrett
“That’s all I’ve ever done.
Fished. I’m fishing over 50 years myself now. I loved it from the beginning and nothing has changed. I still have just as much passion for fishing now as I ever did in my life. I’m the kind that goes on the water very early in the morning – probably two, three o’clock, that kind of thing – but when I get out I won’t be the first to come home. I just like to be out there, right? Sometimes I say to myself, ‘How lucky am I to be in a job for over 50 years and loved it and still do?’” These are the words of Michael Hearn, a fisherman from Petty Harbour who shared his memories of growing up in this small outport on the Avalon Peninsula and working in the fishery. Mike, born in Petty Harbour in 1943, grew up in a family of nine boys and three girls. His father
Above: Fishing gear in Petty Harbour, 2014. 120
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and his grandfather both worked in the fishery, and Mike himself got his start in the fishery as a boy. “When we were young fellas we used to catch codfish – well, not cod, tomcods we called them, about, oh, six to eight, 10 inches long. Especially in October, November you would get Terra Barrett photo
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them a foot long. They would be in the harbour after the old offal,” he says. Aside from the fun of catching tomcods, Mike and other children in the community also cut cod tongues, made fish and played around the flakes. “Even when we were young fellas, when fish was being spread, before I started going fishing we had to make the fish. They used to call it fish makers on the flakes. So you would get up early in the morning and a lot of fish would have to be spread on the fish flakes. You would get up and spread all that no matter what, cold or warm, as long as it wasn’t raining. Then in the evening, we could be up swimming; but if we thought there was going to be a shower of rain and we were up to the pond, we would have to beat it home to get that fish in before the rain came in,” he says. “We would [also] have sword fights. The fish flakes had all longers, we called them, all small sticks about as big [around] as a Pepsi can. And then the end of them was long and pointy, so we’d crack off one of them [and] nail a little piece on the cross. It’s a wonder we all didn’t lose our eyes.” When Mike got his start in the fishery, the main resource was cod. But after the moratorium, the fishery diversified with the increase of the crab and lobster fishery. “When we started off it was all codfish. I started fishing with my father and then it was all salt fish, and then it eventually got into a fresh fish market,
Michael Hearn, 2014.
Terra Barrett photo
which was much easier,” says Mike. “Now when the cod moratorium came in ’92, after the cod moratorium we got into the crab. We were fooling around with lumpfish and things like that, but the crab has been a big saviour now. It’s an easier fishery, especially, than the cod traps. Hook and line is pretty easy, but the cod traps was a lot, a lot of work, hard work for what you were getting because you weren’t getting any price for the fish. But now with the crab, the price is good and it is much easier – very easy compared to what we were doing. So the crab is the number one thing now. There is a few lobster now, but nothing that you would depend on.” For more memories of growing up in Petty Harbour and working in the fishery, listen to the full interview with Michael Hearn at DownhomeLife.com/magazine (via MUN Digital Archives).
The Collective Memories Project is an initiative of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador to record the stories and memories of our province. If you have a memory of old-time Newfoundland and Labrador to share, contact Dale Jarvis at ich@heritagefoundation.ca or call 1-888-7391892 ext 2 or visit www.collectivememories.ca. 1-888-588-6353
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reminiscing
between the boulevard and the bay
The True North Strong, Free and Proud By Ron Young
While Like most people these days, when I’m for a movie or TV show to watch, I scroll Stephenson was looking through Netflix to see what’s new. Over the wina significant ter I got hooked on a Canadian series called “X player for the Company,” a drama based on the real-life WWII spy training centre that operated in a secret locaAllies, his name tion in Ontario. Being a war buff and proud was a highly Canadian, I researched one of the real-life inspifor this show, Sir Samuel Stephenson. guarded secret; rations If you don’t recognize his name, don’t feel bad. his most While Stephenson was a significant player for the important work Allies, his name was a highly guarded secret; his important work was as a spy known only as was as a spy most Intrepid. He was the chief spy for all the Allied known only forces, including Canada, the US and Britain. as Intrepid. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Stephenson wore
a number of important hats in his lifetime. He was an inventor, and according to the Canadian Encyclopedia: “While a student at University of Manitoba he invented the wire photo and then a radio facsimile method of transmitting pictures without need of telephone or telegraph wires.” Only a small man, 5' 2" tall with a size 32" waist, Stevenson was very physically fit. He was a championship boxer, in fact. And he was brave. His daring as a WWI fighter pilot earned him medals. The CIA website writes of Stephenson: “In WWI, he was a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps, bringing down 12 German aircraft. Shot down and captured on a mission, Stephenson managed to escape in October 1918.” Between the two world wars, Stephenson moved to Britain and made a fortune with his inventions, and in doing so he made some high profile friends. One of them was Sir Winston Churchill. When WWII broke out, Stephenson was put in charge of British Security Co-ordination in the
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Western Hemisphere. He went to New York City to set up the operational and liaison arm of UK intelligence in the US. Out of this office, he shared British scientific secrets with American President Franklin D. Roosevelt and relayed American secrets to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In addition, Stephenson has been credited with changing American public opinion from an isolationist stance to a supportive tendency regarding America’s entry into WWII. The CIA website states: “According to documents in the UK National Archives, British authorities tasked him to launch covert operations against the American isolationist movement (his effort was no doubt aided by his many contacts in the entertainment industry).” One of his next acts was to establish a school for spies, which became known as “Camp X.” He chose a remote site on the shores of Lake Ontario, between Oshawa and Whitby, yet only 30 miles straight across the lake from the United States. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, “[The location] was ideal for bouncing radio signals from Europe, South America and, of course, between London and the BSC headquarters in New York. The choice of site also placed the Camp only five miles from DIL (Defense Industries Ltd.), currently the town of Ajax. At that time, DIL was the largest armaments manufacturing facility in North America.” Trainees at Camp X were taught sabotage, subversion, deception and intelligence. Besides learning how to eavesdrop and how to converse with the citizens of occupied Europe and 1-888-588-6353
A statue of William Stephenson in Winnipeg. Ian Lloyd Neubauer photo elsewhere, they learned hand-tohand combat. In a 1946 ceremony, for his service, Stephenson became the first foreigner to receive the highest US civilian honour: the Medal of Merit. The Global News website wrote about Intrepid: “One of the world’s greatest spies was an operative for England with an affinity for martinis, a suave rapport with elite power players, and an uncanny ability to infiltrate and eliminate threats.” If the martinis are a clue, James Bond creator Ian Fleming confirmed, “James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is...William Stephenson.” After WWII, Stephenson lived in the West Indies, becoming chairman of the Caribbean Development Corp., and eventually retired to Bermuda. He died there on January 31, 1989. Did you enjoy this bit of Canadian history? Is there a Canadian hero that you’d like us to research and write about? Send me an email and let me know what you think. Ron Young is a retired policeman, published poet and founding editor of Downhome. ron@downhomelife.com
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The Adventure Continues... By Heather Stemp
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The tri-motor Fokker 7 seaplane, Friendship, with Amelia Earhart, Bill Stultz and Slim Gordon on board, landed at Trepassey Harbour on June 4, 1928. The crew planned to spend the night and take off for England the next day. But as they sometimes do, plans changed. Next morning a northwest wind gusting to 30 knots kept them moored to the buoy. Trepassey Harbour was very narrow, with high hills on the western shore opposite the town and at the head of the harbour. The only way the plane could take off was down the length of the harbour into a southwest wind. They would need a northwest wind once they were in the air, but not before takeoff. All their observations made them uneasy. The wind continued from the northwest and by afternoon was blowing a gale. Stultz and Gordon used the time to work on the plane. The radio had been cutting out and the oil tank had a small crack. Amelia sent telegrams to George Putnam regarding their progress. On the one hand, they had only lost a day of flying. On the other hand, the delay gave Mabel Boll and Thea Rasche a chance to get into the air ahead of them. The two women were flying “land” planes that didn’t have the problems a seaplane had with the takeoff. Land planes were faster, could carry heavier loads and were free of the heavy pontoons that had the tendency to “stick” to the surface of the water, especially when it was calm. It was enough to make the Friendship’s crew wonder if they’d chosen the right aircraft for their mission. Although Thea Rasche prepared quietly for her flight, Mabel Boll was 1-888-588-6353
all about the publicity. She was loud, flashy and bold – the exact opposite of the woman Amy Guest wanted as the first to cross the Atlantic by air. A few months earlier, something had happened that increased Boll’s determination to beat the Friendship into the air. Bill Stultz had been hired by Boll and her backer, Charles Levine, to fly them in their plane, Columbia, from New York City nonstop to Havana, Cuba. Following the flight, Boll claimed she had hired Stultz for her proposed transatlantic flight and she thought he had accepted. What transpired between them is speculation. What is known is that Commander Byrd encouraged Stultz to accept Amy Guest’s offer because he felt it had a better chance of success. Stultz himself said Boll’s enterprise “smacked of the circus and unprofessionalism.” Whatever the true story, Amelia, Stultz and Gordon knew Boll was a threat. July 2018
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They also knew she wouldn’t sit still for long. She and Levine hired Oliver Le Boutillier as their pilot and Arthur Argyles as copilot to fly the Columbia. On June 5, while the Friendship sat at Trepassey Harbour, the Boll crew waited at Roosevelt Field in Boston for the weather to improve. They planned to take off for Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and then on to England. June 6 was sunny and crisp, but the wind in Trepassey Harbour still blew from the northwest. It began to swing to the south, but James Kimball, at the weather office in New York, reported heavy rain, fog and high winds off the coast of England. They weren’t going anywhere that day. Later that afternoon, a New York Times reporter in Trepassey told them Boll was planning to take off from Roosevelt Field the next morning. Although the weather had improved by the next day, a new problem arose for the Friendship crew. They discovered a hole in one of the pontoons. Once it was repaired, they made three attempts to take off, but all failed. Back on shore, they got the news that the Columbia had taken off from Roosevelt Field but had been turned back due to fog. Worse, in Amelia’s mind, was the news in the St. John’s Telegram. Thea Rasche’s plane was being delivered to Curtis Field on Long Island and within three days, she would be on her way to Berlin. 126
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The next few days brought no improvement in the weather in Trepassey. Amelia wrote in her log, “Our competitors are gaining on us by delay. Rasche is the one to fear. I wish we’d have a break.” They didn’t get a break and, in fact, it seemed as if a pattern had been set. When the weather improved, there were problems with the plane – a leak in the oil tank, saltwater in the motors, and pontoons that refused to “let go” of the water. When the plane was ready to go, the weather closed in. Just when it seemed things couldn’t get worse, another problem arose. Some reporters in Trepassey had alcohol with them. Stultz and Gordon began spending the evenings with them and wandering home in the wee hours of the morning. If the weather kept them on the ground, they slept most of the day. Amelia’s mood was very low. She wrote in her log, “Job had nothing on us. We are just managing to keep from suicide.” The worst news came on the evening of June 12. Boll had landed in Harbour Grace, where she was greeted by the whole town and taken to Cochrane House for dinner and a reception. Her pilot, Oliver Le Boutillier, announced they’d rest for a day or two, then “tackle the Atlantic.” On Wednesday, June 13, the Friendship made four more attempts to take off. Even with a lightened load of gasoline, the plane couldn’t lift off the water. They briefly considered a shorter flight to the Azores, 1-888-588-6353
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which required less fuel. They could refuel and continue to England. But the organizers and crew felt there were too many unforeseen dangers to implement that option. One piece of good news arrived that day. A dispute over the ownership of Thea Rasche’s plane had forced her to pull out of the transatlantic race. Another three days of bad weather kept the Friendship moored. During this time, Stultz’s drinking remained a concern. Amelia wrote, “Just now the boys are at Paddy Morton’s and I know the liquor flows.” Then on June 16, Kimball opened a small window of hope. He reported a storm over the Atlantic, “slightly to the south of their route.” He gave them a conditional okay to start the next day. The following morning, Amelia concluded it was now or never – even though Stultz was hungover from the night before. She and Gordon filled Stultz with black coffee and she practically dragged him into a dory and onto the plane. Reporters at the scene overheard her arguing with Stultz, but all agreed Amelia appeared firmly in control. At 11:15 a.m., after two unsuccessful attempts, Amelia decided to lighten their load even more. Byrd had suggested 830 gallons to reach England, but with a tailwind Stultz and Gordon agreed they could cross the Atlantic with 700 gallons and reach Ireland. On the second run with their lighter load, Amelia watched the air1-888-588-6353
speed indicator as it slowly climbed. “Thirty – forty – the Friendship was trying again,” she wrote in her log. “A long pause, then the pointer went to fifty. Fifty, fifty-five, sixty. We were off at last.” Finally, on June 17, 1928, the Friendship left Trepassey Harbour. Finally, Mike Jackman could send Amelia’s coded telegram to George Putnam. “Violet stop cheerio,” meant they were on their way. When Boll heard the Friendship had left, she was stunned. Her pilot had considered the weather report to be only fair and decided to wait for a better one. Boll claimed James Kimball had given them a different weather report than the Friendship received – something Kimball denied. The weather report had only been fair, but Amelia was the difference. On Boll’s plane, the pilot made the decisions. On the Friendship, that responsibility was Amelia’s. Twenty hours and 40 minutes after leaving Trepassey, Newfoundland, Amelia, Stultz and Gordon landed – not in Ireland, but in Burry Port, Wales. But Amelia wasn’t finished with Newfoundland yet. She had only been a passenger on this flight. Next time she wanted to fly the plane herself. Four years later, on May 20, 1932, she would be back in Harbour Grace to do just that. Tune in next month for the details of Amelia’s solo transatlantic flight from Harbour Grace. July 2018
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reminiscing reminiscing flashbacks
REMEMBERING THE REGIMENT As the 100th anniversary of the Great War’s end approaches, we share our readers’ connections to the heroes who fought – and often fell – for our freedom. Read on for the stories of four soldiers who served in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.
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THIS IS THE STORY OF MY UNCLE, Simeon Lilly, for whom I am named. Much of what I’ve written here comes from his military records. His time in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was marked with illness, injury and insubordination, and his death after the war is an enduring mystery. Simeon Lilly was born on September 7, 1900, in McCallum, Newfoundland. A few years later, his parents, Amelia and Hezekiah Lilly, moved their family to Bay d’Espoir. Simeon was 14 when the war broke out, and 16 when he decided to enlist. He lied about his age on his enrollment form, which recorded his age as 18 years and two months on November 17, 1916. On January 31, 1917, Simeon left Bay d’Espoir for St. John’s and boarded the SS Florizel bound for Windsor, Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, Simeon was issued his army kit: jacket, cardigan, trousers, puttees and kit bag. He began receiving a soldier’s salary of $200 a year, of which 50 cents per day was sent home to his sister Charlotte. Simeon’s early days as a young (underage) recruit were a bit rocky. According to his military record, on February 7, 1917, he received three days CB (Confined to Barracks) for using a firearm in the barracks. The day this sentence was lifted, he received another three days CB for creating a disturbance in the recreation room. In the following months he was confined for four days for going AWOL while on light duties, two days for unkempt attire on parade and two days for failing to show at 6 p.m. parade. 1-888-588-6353
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On June 11, 1917, Simeon sailed to Southampton, where he joined the 1st Battalion Newfoundland Regiment BEF (British Expeditionary Force) and travelled to Rouen, France. From there he advanced to the front line and entered battle. On July 2, 1917, Private Lilly fought in the field in Belgium. He spent 48 hours on the front line, followed by four days’ rest in Rear. Rest days included a ration pack per day. Simeon’s ration pack consisted of a tin of bully beef, hardtack, tea, Player’s cigarettes and a daily rum ration. Simeon spent two months on the field. Taken from an interview with a solider who fought in the same Royal Newfoundland Regiment, here is what he likely experienced. The first night the Regiment walked one mile through the trenches from a valley. They got lost and ended up where there were no trenches to walk. They found themselves within 30-35 feet of the Germans and came under attack. Those that survived the first night, including Simeon, crawled back into the trenches from where they came. The next morning, on September 15, the first tanks that roamed No Man’s Land came across the trenches. Once they blew the whistle, the soldiers began to help one another over the front line trench. There, the German artillery got a line on the trenches and began to attack. The soldiers ran 1,100 yards that morning and got to a place called Thiepval, where there was an old sugar factory partly intact. In this factory is where the men began to dig trenches for the night while the Germans fired overhead about two or three hundred 132
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yards behind them. The next record of Simeon was of his hospitalization. On August 26, 1917, he was admitted to the 64th Casualty Clearing Station with a fever of unknown origin. His condition worsened and three days later he was admitted to 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbeville, France. On September 14, a week after his 17th birthday, he was invalided to Wandsworth, England and on September 20, he was admitted to 3rd London General Hospital. A telegraph was sent to his mother, Amelia, in Newfoundland explaining her son’s condition. TROUBLED TEENAGER OR SCARED SOLDIER? After his release from hospital, Simeon’s insubordinate behaviour from his early recruitment days returned. Reportedly, a week after returning to barracks, Simeon snuck out of camp alone and walked to a nearby town and got drunk. He was issued seven days CB as punishment. On January 7, 1918, he received six days CB for inattention during parade and, almost immediately after, received 48 hours FP (Fire Picket) for insolence to a Non Commissioned Officer on parade. On February 4, 1918, Simeon was transferred back to the battlefield. Toward the end of March, he developed diphtheria and was admitted to 7th General Hospital at Saint-Omer for two weeks. Upon his return to the field, Simeon failed to comply with orders and was given seven days CB. Once the seven days passed, he stole rations and received 14 days of FP. In early June, Simeon ran away 1-888-588-6353
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and was absent until apprehended by French police. He received 14 days CB and lost a day’s pay. Several times in July, Simeon went AWOL for days at a time. In early August, he was back on the field, where shortly after he was apprehended by the Regimental Police and received CB for an unknown amount of time. While in CB, Simeon broke out of camp and remained hidden for three days. When found, he was punished with three more weeks in CB. Back in the field, Simeon developed appendicitis. On August 26, 1918, he was sent to 7th Stationary Hospital in Boulogne, France for 10 days. Late September 1918, the Battle of the Canal Du Nord and Cambria began; Simeon was there serving on the front line. On September 29, Private Lilly was admitted to 18th General Hospital in Dannes-Camiers with multiple gunshot wounds. He was shot in the arm and both legs without any bones shattered. He was rumoured to have been lying among the dead for days until rescue. He was in hospital for several weeks, but soon after he recovered, just as before, Simeon disappeared. When the war ended on November 11, 1918, Simeon was still missing somewhere in France. He was finally found and apprehended on November 19. He was brought to Hazeley Down Camp in Winchester, England, and given 10 days CB. He was also issued a jail sentence, a seven-day detention, and forfeited 23 days’ pay. In January 1919, when all soldiers were to remain at their post until their departure home, Simeon broke out of camp again. When caught a 1-888-588-6353
week later, he was confined to CB while he awaited Discharge On Account of Disability. THE HOMECOMING THAT NEVER CAME On January 30, he boarded the SS Corsican back to Newfoundland and arrived on February 7. His mother, who had remarried and was living in Conne River, received a telegraph that he was home. By March 28, Simeon had been officially discharged and his travel papers were stamped for his journey back to Bay d’Espoir. But he never arrived. Three years later, Simeon’s mother received a mysterious letter revealing the death of her lost son. It stated he had died the previous April and was buried in Baghdad, Mesopotamia. To this day no one knows why or how he died, or how he was reported in Newfoundland after the war but died in Baghdad. However, there have been rumours of his whereabouts. One is that Simeon didn’t want to live in Conne River with his mother and stayed on in St. John’s as a police officer, though there’s no satisfactory evidence of this. Another explanation is that the overwhelming experience of the war for such a young man may have left him haunted by fear and he suffered a mental breakdown, like so many other souls who had fought by his side. In this state of mind, one can only guess what Simeon might have done. On July 20, 1923, Simeon’s mother wrote to the militia, stating that she would like to receive her son’s Victory Medal and British War Medals in memory of his death. In her letter she wrote, “I hope he is better off.” July 2018
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THE FIRST SET of army records hooked me
like a sly conner around father’s wharf. They were the records of Private Andrew Shaw of Little Heart’s Ease, Newfoundland. While flicking through the 146 pages of his military file – containing letters, newspaper articles, payroll papers etc. – at The Rooms in St. John’s, I stopped on an image of a postcard message, penned by Pte. Shaw and sent from Hanover, Germany. It conveyed this handwritten note: Dear Sir, I am writing to see if you will be so well pleased to inform the red cross to sent [sic] me some parcels as soon as possible. I am wounded prisoner of war in Germany. I have been here going on four months and haven’t received know [sic] parcels yet. I am suffering very bad with my leg…
With that, I knew his story, and others like his, had to be told – if for no other reason than to remind us that wars should be avoided at all costs. SHAW’S JOURNEY Andrew enlisted on May 12, 1916, and embarked for overseas aboard SS Sicilian on July 21. From there he was assigned to British Expeditionary Forces and was actively involved on the front, where he was shot in the right leg at the Battle of Langemarck on August 13, 1917. After recovering, he returned to the battlefield on February 6, 1918, and for the next two months fought alongside his comrades to hold the defensive lines. The advancing German forces were determined to carry out a massive spring offensive against the Allied resistance on the Western Front, and records show that the Allies were overwhelmed. Approximately 150 soldiers went missing in action during that time. The Allies assumed they were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Several military records indicate that Pte. Shaw was reported missing on April 12, 1918. Finally, two months later, some 1-888-588-6353
good news: a letter from Pte. Shaw, dated May 15, is received at the Newfoundland Contingent in London. In it, he requests clothes and supplies, and describes life in the German prison camp as being very wearing. Today, we can only imagine the mental torture of lying in a dirty, smelly prison camp, wearing shredded clothing, in excruciating pain from wounds and yearning for home. The Newfoundland Contingent replied to Pte. Shaw, explaining that parcels, containing clothing and bandages, were en route. The letter goes on to explain that the Newfoundland War Contingent Association has been advised that he is a prisoner and every attention is being given to food parcels. Pte. Shaw pens a second message, in the form of the postcard (transcribed near the beginning of this article) dated July 20, 1918, again to the Newfoundland Contingent, again pleading for supplies. Ten days later, at long last, Pte. Shaw receives two July 2018
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Andrew Shaw pictured in 1956 in St. John’s, and the Victory Medal he received for his brave service. Courtesy Mike Foley
parcels from the Red Cross, containing boots, braces, drawers, gloves, shirts, socks, vest, towels, handkerchief etc. Records indicate that, on August 31, the Chief Paymaster and Officer of the Newfoundland Contingent requested that the Secretary, War Office of Finsbury Court in London, make application for Pte. Shaw to be transferred to England. The response, received September 5, states that Shaw’s name will be placed on the list for recommendation to the Medical Commission, which examines prisoners of war for repatriation or transfer to a neutral country. However, on September 11, the Chief Paymaster and Officer of Records withdrew the request – for the best of reasons. At long last, Pte. Shaw had been released and was already resting at King George Hospital, England. With that, the young man’s ordeal as a wounded PoW was 136
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over – and the focus could finally shift to medical treatment for wounds sustained five agonizing months earlier. On May 22, 1919, SS Corsican returned Pte. Shaw to St. John’s, where he was demobilized. He purchased a ticket to Bay de Verde and visited with his sister before going home to Little Heart’s Ease. He married Mary Stanford of St. John’s on June 15, 1921, and had nine children. The family lived at 22 McKay Street, St. John’s. Andrew spent his final two years at St. Patrick’s Nursing Home on Elizabeth Avenue, also in the city. He passed away on April 10, 1976, and rests at Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery. Lester Green is a member of the Southwest Arm Historical Society. An avid researcher, he continues to search for the stories of the area’s brave servicemen. 1-888-588-6353
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Killed in Action BY DOUG WELLS
John Organ of Great Jervois, Hermitage Bay joined the Newfoundland Regiment on August 28, 1916, in St. John’s, a recruit of the 12th Draft. Wasting no time, his medical was carried out on the same day at the Church Lads Brigade Armoury.
The son of John and Margaret Organ (Strickland), and brother to David and Frances, young John was a small boy, 5 feet 4 1/4 inches tall and 119 lbs. He’d just turned 19 when he enlisted for the duration of the war, for a private soldier’s rate of $1.10 per day. Of that, he allotted 50 cents a day to go to his uncle, Matthew Bobbett, to take effect on November 1, 1916. On September 20, 1916, while still in St. John’s, Private Organ was reprimanded for two infractions: refusing to obey the orders of a sentry, and insolence towards the Sergeant of the Guard. His punishment was three days Confined to Barracks. That ordeal over, on January 31, 1917, Pte. Organ and around 320 others boarded the Florizel in St. John’s, bound for Halifax, where the detachment was sent to Windsor to be quarantined for measles and mumps. On April 18, Pte. Organ left Halifax on the Ausonia. From Liverpool, England he continued to Scotland for further training. In June 1917, Pte. Organ, part of the 25th Re-enforcement Draft, travelled to Rouen, France. There, he spent time training at the British 1-888-588-6353
Expeditionary Force Base Depot. The following day he left Rouen, and on July 2, 1917, he joined his unit at Passchendaele, and also took part in the Battle of Steenbeek on August 16. It was on September 23, 1917, while fighting north of the city of Ypres, Belgium, when Pte. Organ was wounded. Flying shrapnel left him with compound fractures to his right leg; he was evacuated to the British 87th Field Ambulance Hospital. That day, an extract of the Daily Orders by Lt.-Col. A.L. Hadow, states that Pte. Organ of A Company was wounded and possibly shell-shocked. He died later that day. Back home, Rev. Fr. Hawkins at Harbour Breton delivered the grim message to the family. Margaret received John’s personal kit bag in July 1918. And five long years after her son’s death, she received the balance of his estate: $50.47. Pte. John Organ (#3046) served for one year, 27 days, and was entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He is buried in the Bleuet Farm British Cemetery, Northwest of Ypres. He is also commemorated on page 91 of the Newfoundland Book of Remembrance in Ottawa. July 2018
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Regimental
Runner BY GLORIA (HELLIER) BROWN
AS A BOY in Dildo, Newfoundland, Andrew Ralph Smith was known for his speed – often outperforming lads much older than himself in races and other physical activities. In 1915, at the Regimental Depot in Ayr, Scotland, this speed and agility held him in good stead. He was to be a runner for the Newfoundland Regiment. While there were telephones and telegraphs, cables between the front lines and headquarters were often destroyed. Communications, therefore, often depended on messages carried by runners. (When covering longer distances, they used bicycles.) Taking on the role meant quick dashes between trenches, through barbed wire, water and mud-filled holes, and across enemy terrain. The work required physical stamina, daring and cunning, as runners were favourite targets of enemy snipers and machine gun crews. Smaller men, therefore, were chosen to be runners; tall men made for bigger targets. It was a precarious role with a casualty rate second only to stretcher-bearers. Runners were well respected and perceived as trustworthy; after all, lives depended on them. 138
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Andrew Ralph Smith of Dildo, NL
They worked in pairs in case one was wounded or killed – and they were not to stop if the other was hit. Usually, they did not carry a rifle; instead, they were allowed a pistol and a knife. So that troops would recognize them in trenches and let them pass, they wore distinctive red bands (brassards) on their left arms. It’s well known that on October 14, 1918, during the Battle of Ledgehem in Belgium, Newfoundlander Tommy Ricketts won the highest military honour, the Victoria Cross. Lesser known is that during the same battle, Andrew and two other runners were awarded the Military Medal. Recording the actual deed is a letter in his military file. It reads, “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty, on the 14th October 1918, during the advance from Ledgehem towards the Lys River, this man was acting as Company runner. During the whole of the day, he repeatedly carried messages from 1-888-588-6353
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Captain Herbert Rendell was killed in action in 1918
the front line to Battalion Headquarters and back over ground swept by machine gun fire and by snipers. On one occasion, when two runners had been sniped before they had gone 100 yards, Pte. Smith at once volunteered to take the message and get it back to Battalion Headquarters. Throughout the day he showed a complete disregard of danger.” But it was an event two weeks prior to this that likely left an even greater impression on Andrew. In torrential rain, the Regiment was holed up in muddy trenches under heavy machine gun fire. Andrew, who had just run a message, reported to his captain, Herbert Rendell, that there were snipers everywhere. Instinctively, the captain rose to the top of the trench to view the situation. Andrew protested, “I wouldn’t do that if I was you, sir,” but it was too late. Rendell was shot in the throat. It was reported on Sunday, September 29, 1918, at 1:25 p.m., that 29-yearold Captain Rendell, MC MID, was killed in action near Zonnebeke at 11 a.m. He died in Andrew’s arms. An eyewitness report from Second Lieutenant McHenry stated that 1-888-588-6353
Rendell died instantly; the officer commanding the 1st Battalion reported he lived two minutes. Traditionally, only officers’ names were recorded, so Andrew’s name or his accounting of the incident would not be used in the report. The death struck a chord with Andrew. Family and friends encouraged him to share his memories with Captain Rendell’s family, but he was reluctant to do so. Rendell’s parents were Dr. Herbert Sr. and Eliza (Clift) Rendell, a prominent St. John’s family who lived on Duckworth Street. Dr. Rendell was the first superintendent of the Sanatorium. They’d already lost their younger son, Second Lieutenant Clifford Rendell, who died as a result of wounds received at BeaumontHamel. His right leg required amputation, and there were hopes of a recovery. Cablegrams reveal that a Herbert and a Miss Mary Rendell were at his side in a French hospital. Clifford died of septicemia (blood poisoning) on July 22, 1916. He was 21 years old. At a ceremony in St. John’s on September 16, 1919, Andrew was listed as one of six to receive a Military Medal. Three were awarded posthumously, one of them to William P. King, a runner with Andrew at Ledgehem. Another was Captain Rendell. Dr. Rendell advised he was attending the ceremony, “that it would be my son’s wish that his [Military] Cross should be presented to his mother.” Were Andrew and Dr. Rendell at the investiture at the same time? In a letter dated September 12, 1919, Andrew, my grandfather, said he planned to attend. He would have made the connection. How did he feel? July 2018
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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
1
2
wed Revie pg. 40
5
3
4
1.
One For the Rock - Kevin Major
2.
Catching The Light Susan Sinnott #74673 | $21.95
3.
Fogo: My Favourite Corner of the Earth - Written and Illustrated by Dawn Baker #74821 | $12.95
4.
A Man of My Word: A Memoir Beaton Tulk with Laurie Blackwood Pike #74851 | $19.95
5.
Too Unspeakable for Words Rosalind Gill #72904 | $19.95
6.
Mini 2019 Scenic Newfoundland and Labrador Magnet Calendar
6
#74727 | $19.95
4.5" x 2.5" #74454 | $6.99
7
8
7.
Scenic Newfoundland and Labrador Thermometer Magnet 3" x 3.5" #74455 | $6.99
8.
Scenic Newfoundland and Labrador Coasters 4 pkg 4" x 4" #74462 | $10.99
9.
Ornament - Row Houses - Red and Yellow 2 per pkg 3" x 1.5" #74912 | $14.99
9
10
10. Ornament - Row Houses - Blue and Green 2 per pkg 3" x 1.5" #74913 | $14.99
11. Ornament - Musical Mummers 2 per pkg 2.5" #74910 | $14.99 12. Ornament - Fishermen 2 per pkg 2.5" #74911 | $14.99
11
12
PRICES IN EFFECT FOR JULY 2018
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FOR MORE SELECTION VISIT: www.shopdownhome.com
14
13
se View the nd a ts produc at MORE
home.com
pdown www.sho
15 13. Ornaments - “Newfoundland Favorites” Lemon Creams - 3" x 1" Eversweet Margarine 2"x1" Cream Crackers 3" x 1" Good Luck Margarine 1.5" x 1.5"
#74919 | $9.99
14. Ornaments - “Newfoundland Favorites”Jam Jams, Screech, Cream of the West, Hard Bread - 1" x 1" each
16
#74920 | $9.99
15. T-Shirt - Newfoundland Flag w Place Names Ladies’ Size S-XXL #74689 | $19.99 Mens’ Size S-XXL #74854 | $19.99
16. Ladies’ - T-Shirt - Newfoundland Map with Sayings Size S-XXL #74690 | $19.99
17. Men's - T-Shirt - Newfoundland Map with Sayings
17
Size S-XXL #74855 | $19.99
18. Ladies’ T-Shirt “Home” Newfoundland
Purple - Size S-XXL #74396 | $19.99
19. Ladies’ T-Shirt - “Newfoundland Girls Kick Arse” Red - Size S-XXL #74688 | $19.99
18
19
TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353
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GREAT GIFT IDEAS! Mouth Opens!
20
21
22
23
20. Kids’ T-Shirt - Floppy Top Mommy Moose Size 2T, 3T, S(4) #44811 | $17.99 21. Unisex Hoody - Newfoundland and Labrador - Full zipper with Pockets Black - Size S-XXL #74802 | $24.99
24
25
22. Unisex Hoody - Newfoundland and Labrador - Full zipper with Pockets
Slate Blue - Size S-XXL #74801 | $24.99
23. Sweatshirt - Vintage Apparel Newfoundland & Labrador Authentic Sparkle
Purple Heather - Size S-XL #74799 | $19.99
24. Sweatshirt - Vintage Apparel Newfoundland & Labrador Authentic Sparkle
Pink Heather - Size S-XL #74800 | $19.99
26
27
25. Men’s T-Shirt - Newfoundland Map Newfoundland and Labrador Black - Size S-XXL #74889 | $19.99
26. Men's T Shirt - Newfoundland Rocks Black- Size S-XXL #74946 | $19.99
27. Toque - The Rock w/ Blue lettering Neon Pink #63875 | $4.99
28
29
28. Napkins - Newfoundland Row House 20 count #60194 | $3.99 29. Salt and Pepper Shakers Newfoundland Map Tartan 3" #74918 | $10.99
30. Official Sou’Wester - $10.99 each Adult #40650 Youth #40651
31. Newfoundland Flag 30
31
24" x 36" #37320 | $14.99 36" x 60" #37321 | $16.99
PRICES IN EFFECT FOR JULY 2018 *** For larger parcels please call for quote
Item #
Description
Central and Western Canada. 2-3 weeks USA. Guidelines set by Canada Post.
Delivery Time 3-5 days NL, NS & NB. 7-10 days
isfied, please let us know. We will exchange any item in resaleable condition. Sorry, no returns on earrings, books, CDs or DVDs. If you do not receive your order or it is damaged upon delivery, please let us know within 3 business days. Overnight delivery available: please call for details. Product prices and shipping costs may be subject to change without notice.
Service Guarantee If you are not completely sat-
Qty.
Colour
TOTAL
*
Tax (your provincial sales tax )
USA add 15% (+ Shipping)
Shipping & Handling
SUB TOTAL
Size
$15.00
Price
*
NL, NS, PE, NB 15%; ON, 13%; BC, AB, NT, YK, NU, SK, QC, MB, 5%
Please make cheques payable to Downhome Incorporated and send to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 • Fax: 709-726-2135 mailorder@downhomelife.com • www.shopDownhome.com
*
Card #: ___________________________________ Expiry Date: _____ /_____
Payment Info : ❒ Visa ❒ Amex ❒ MasterCard ❒ Cheque/Money Order
Gift Card to read: _________________________________________________
City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________
Address: ________________________________________________________
Send Gift to:_____________________________________________________
Gift Service Information
Telephone: _____________________ E-mail: __________________________
City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________
Address: ________________________________________________________
Send to: _______________________________________________________
Please complete your order form carefully. Please send this form along with payment to the address at bottom, or fax to 709-726-2135.
Shop online for more selection Visit: shopdownhome.com
1807 mail order_Mail order.qxd 5/30/18 6:43 PM Page 143
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RIVER ROAD • THORBURN LAKE
New Price!
MLS # 1167878
Artistic Getaway .85 acres Architecturally designed by Robert Mellin. Soaring ceilings, studio loft, decks + high end finishes
Carolyn Kettle • 709-746-2484
FOR SALE $329,990 Formally the Stonewall Inn Spaniards Bay, NL 1 ½ Acres 5 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms Contact: Debbie Hollett 709-687-9700
Historic Oceanfront Property Located on Notre Dame Bay Totally renovated 4 bedroom 25'x35' heated workshop. MLS # 1157959
chris.ellis@century21.ca • 709-293-2085 or 709-393-9000
PRIVATE SALE BY OWNER
Town Square, Gander Building, Both Levels 3400 Sq. Ft. Total
Contact: 709-221-8757 f.tizzard@nl.rogers.com
Downhome Real Estate Ad prices start at $50 for a 1 column x 1 inch colour advertisement. This size fits approximately 20 words. The smallest size of advertisement with a picture is $100 for a 1 column x 2 inch advertisement.
709-726-5113
HOUSE FOR SALE Frenchman’s Cove, Bay of Islands
Beautiful 3 bedroom log home at foot of Blow Me Down Mountain on Newfoundland’s west coast. .8 acre of land. Located on main road at 1197 on Route 450. Access to hiking/snow trails and mountain directly from property. Lovely amenities.
1-888-588-6353 advertising@downhomelife.com
For details: www.propertyguys.com/property/index/id/102354 Call: 709-651-3241 Email: brakej3@outlook.com 144
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$
slash
ed by
Beautiful 2940 sq ft home on 7/8 acres located on brook - Plus Cabin located on Dynamite Pond, private and peaceful. Cottage living with all of the amenities of home.
00 100,0
Price
serenaroberts@royallepage.ca 709-673-6797
OWNE
NTS R WA
SOLD
! MLS# 1163597
FOR SALE Kings Point Diner & Pub Springdale, NL
LAND FOR SALE Woody Point Bonne Bay
$249,000 Lot: 255 ft. Wide by 224 ft. Deep • 2 Level Building, each 2,900 sq. ft.
Formally known as Budgell’s Motel, this three-room motel is a local icon and part of King’s Point history. Room to grow, well positioned for tourist industry growth. Improvements and additions made since 2008 include: a new metal roof, complete pex plumbing, completely renovated kitchen, completely renovated Event Area, all new pressure treated decks, completely renovated dining room and more!
Call Corey 587-343-3302
Beautiful view of the bay & Gros Morne Mountain • Water & Sewage Hook up • Just over 1 Acre
Contact 416-948-8191
FOR SALE
ADVERTISE IN
MARKETPLACE
The Prints of Whales Inn
Marketplace rates start at $50 for a 1 column x 1 inch colour ad. This size fits approximately 20 words. The smallest size of ad with a picture is a 1 column x 2 inch ad and the cost is $100.
Call 709-726-5113 1-888-588-6353
Email advertising@ downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com
Bed and Breakfast
Sandringham, NL On the beautiful Eastport Peninsula
(709) 726-5113 1-888-588-6353
advertising@downhomelife.com
Discount Storage St. John's, NL
709-726-6800
This established, awardwinning B&B, with a bottom line that improves every year, is an ideal investment in a popular NL Tourism destination. 5 bedrooms with full baths and host live-in space. Almost 8 acres of land gives this beautiful property potential to expand. For price and particulars 709-677-2104 stay@theprintsofwhalesinn.ca
July 2018
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Movers & Shippers SAMSON’S MOVING
Clarenville Movers
Let our Family Move Your Family Home
Local & Long Distance Service
Newfoundland, Ontario, Alberta and All Points In Between
Your Newfoundland & Alberta Connection
Newfoundland Owned & Operated Fully Insured, Free Estimates Sales Reps. in Ontario and Alberta
Over 30 years Experience Toll Free: 1-855-545-2582 Tel: Cell:
Call Jim or Carolyn - Peterview, NL 709-257-4223 709-486-2249 - Cell samsonsmovers@yahoo.ca www.samsonsmovers.ca
Moving you from Ontario and Newfoundland... or any STOP along the way!
DOWNEAST CONNECTION
clarenvillemover@eastlink.ca www.clarenvillemovers.com
A&K Moving Covering all Eastern & Western Provinces and Returning Based from Toronto, Ontario Discount Prices Out of NL, NS & NB Newfoundland Owned & Operated 35 Years in the Moving Industry
709-248-4089 905-965-4813
Hawke’s Bay, NL (collect calls accepted) downeastconnection@yahoo.ca
709-545-2582 709-884-9880
Andy: 416-247-0639 Out West: 403-471-5313
aandkmoving@gmail.com
Movers & Shippers Rates start at $175 for a 1 col. x 2" ad.
Call Today! 709-726-5113 Toll Free 1-888-588-6353
FIVE STAR SERVICE Without The Five Star Price! ★ Local & Long Distance Moves ★ Packing
A Family Moving Families Professionally and economically Coast to Coast in Canada Fully Insured
Newfoundland Owned & Operated
Contact: Gary or Sharon King
Toll Free: 1-866-586-2341 www.downhomemovers.com
Voted CBS Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
★ Door-to-Door Service Across Canada ★ Replacement Protection Available ★ NL Owned & Operated
MOVING INC. 709-834-0070 866-834-0070 fivestarmoving@outlook.com www.fivestarmoving.ca
Over 25 Years Experience in the Moving Industry
Downhome Shop www.shopdownhome.com 146
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puzzles
The Beaten Path By Ron Young
Block out all the letters that are like other letters in every way, including shape and size. The letters that are left over will spell out the name of the above place name in letters that get smaller in size.
D M K E
F p
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R
H E L P J S n
G
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A E S
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m
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Last Month’s Community: Springdale 148
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Sudoku
from websudoku.com
Skill level: Medium
Last month’s answers
?
Need Help
Visit DownhomeLife.com/puzzles for step-by-step logic for solving this puzzle
www.downhomelife.com
July 2018
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Downhomer Detective Needs You
A
fter more than two decades on the Urban City Police Force, Downhomer Detective has come home to rid Newfoundland and Labrador of a new threat – cunning thief Ragged Rick. A real braggart, the slimy criminal sends DD a blurry photo of his surroundings plus clues to his whereabouts just to prove he’s always a step ahead. DD needs your help to identify where in Newfoundland and Labrador Ragged Rick is hiding out this month.
Use these 5 clues to identify where Ragged Rick is now: • Local watering hole is the Inn of Olde • A brewing company bears its name • The harbour is called “the Gut” • Military battery site dates back to 1812 • Home of Mallard Cottage
Last Month’s Answer: Trinity
Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: York Harbour 150
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In Other Words Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.
Last Month’s Clue: Hilarity makes the greatest remedy In Other Words: Laughter is the best medicine This Month’s Clue: Ancient like the mountains In Other Words: ___ __ ___ _____
A Way With Words GNIKOOL
Last Month’s Answer: Looking back
This Month’s Clue
COF-FEE
Rhyme Time A rhyming word game by Ron Young
1. A jaundiced man is a ______ ______ 2. A rouge outbuilding is a ___ ____ 3. Strawberry lemonade is a ____ _____ Last Month’s Answers
ANS: ______ _____
Scrambled Sayings
1. weep for sleep, 2. your store, 3. stash cash
by Ron Young
Place each of the letters in the rectangular box below into one of the white square boxes above them to discover a quotation. Incomplete words that begin on the right side of the diagram continue one line down on the left. The letters may or may not go in the box in the same order that they are in the column. Once a letter is used, cross it off and do not use it again.
D I T U W
C A E E D E H A A C A P A I B E O A B H E I T H N T T M E C D E R O N F A G L E O I O U T R I N I N T K O G I N T T T S T M T T H U T
Last month’s answer: Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable. www.downhomelife.com
July 2018
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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four
1. mallet 2. stutter 3. spelling 4. coder 5. jail
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
Last Month’s Answers: 1. yellow, 2. mellow, 3. fellow, 4. hello, 5. bellow
STUCK? Don’t get your knickers in a knot! Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
Tangled Towns by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young
Sound out the groups of words below to get a familiar expression. For best results sound the clue words out loud!
Ape Arrow Faces _ ____ __ ____ Dawn Buried Hick Yule Less ____ __ __________ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Thumb Worth Hum Hairier Answer: The more the merrier Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Cause Tap Writ Hip Any Answer: Cost a pretty penny
A
nalogical
A
Unscramble each of the five groups of letters below to get 5 Newfoundland and Labrador place names.
1. GORELIT 2. TWRACTHIRG 3. KVIKOKAM 4. EUTAFOR 5. SUHBWA Last Month’s Ans: 1. Buchans, 2. Badger, 3. Millertown, 4. Botwood, 5. Lewisporte
nagrams
Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue. 1. WHY I HAG – Clue: leads to heaven or hell 2. RAVE NET – Clue: been there, done that, got the medal 3. AIM OR ELM – Clue: can’t move itself but moves others 4. LAST FIVE – Clue: a party with a purpose 5. SUIT ROT – Clue: here for a good time, not a long time Last Month’s Ans: 1. publisher, 2. acrobat, 3. politicians, 4. students, 5. dentures 152
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Four-Way Crossword F o re Wo rd s • B a c k Wo rd s • U p Wo rd s • D o w n Wo rd s By Ron Young
Unlike regular crosswords, in Four-Way Crossword each letter is not necessarily related to the letter in the adjacent row or column, but is part of one or more words in some direction.
1-10: justice 1-91: disaffected 3-6: essence 3-23: chat 5-35: nimble 6-26: beverage 7-9: rodent 8-38: dry 14-12: sunbeam 15-12: address God 15-17: pod pal 15-18: fruit 15-35: jimmy 18-38: free 19-49: away 21-30: freedom 23-93: Grizzly fur 25-30: portion 27-7: pitch 28-30: charged particle 31-91: happy 32-34: guided 34-36: colour 35-37: hankering 42-46: French city 43-47: come up 42-44: equal 46-26: ocean 46-44: knight’s title 46-50: drainage 46-96: shout loudly 48-78: folded cloak 50-30: raced 51-54: hardly 56-54: weep 58-60: fish eggs 63-61: place 63-67: fragment 63-93: epidermis www.downhomelife.com
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64-67: difficult 67-47: pass on 67-70: wet 69-67: angry 69-99: nasty 71-74: antlered animals 72-42: jump 74-78: use broom 75-78: cry 80-100: encountered 81-84: spike 86-84: become sick 87-84: expel water 87-89 undergarment 91-93: take sun 91-100: preferable 94-96: beret
96-100: get on horse 97-27: dutiful 100-10: moderation Last Month’s Answer 1
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P A R E N T L E S S
E C A P I O L D I E
NTA OAT CTA AT E BOR BOG AER I BA TWI CON
G O I N G G I D C D
ONA LO S L I N UTA N I T ANA F UR EMA EME HAN
July 2018
L E G I S L A T E D
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fun & games puzzles
The Bayman’s
Crossword Puzzle 1
3
2
by Ron Young
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154
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ACROSS 1. “When ___ rays crown thy pine clad hills” 3. fishing pole 5. Corey ___ Trina 6. et cetera (abbrev) 8. spring beaching of certain small fish (2 words) (colloq) 17. As _______ as odd socks 18. primates 19. island (abbrev) 20. Smoky __ a Labrador tilt 21. Amateur Golfers Association (abbrev) 22. Coal Bin’s friend in Different Strokes puzzle 24. shimmering 27. Grey River (abbrev) 28. Daniel to his friends 29. steamship (abbev) 30. retch (colloq) 33. opposite of WNW 35. harpoon 36. “We’ll ____ and we’ll roar” 39. regarding (abbrev) 41. Hook, ____ and sinker 42. _______ room – a boat’s storage space (colloq) 44. Merchant ____ – nationalized transport ships 46. “I’m proud to be __ islander and here’s the reason why” 47. “Sakes _____!” – My goodness! 49. Pa’s mate 50. born on The Rock
11. Little Harbour (abbrev) 12. baby’s tooth (colloq) 13. ship’s mast 14. civil engineer (abbrev) 15. employed 16. collectively, fish nets and twine for same (colloq) 17. A ________ is one rogue; a merchant is many 23. Robert’s Arm (abbrev) 25. “___ the b’y that builds the boat” 26. “For we ___ swoilers, fearless, bold” 30. “Oh, oh, oh, __ she rises, the water rolls off her deck” 31. idle talk 32. focused 34. net 37. “___ mummers ’lowed in?” 38. not SW 40. not likely! (2 words) (colloq) 41. magma 43. sea ice sheet (colloq) 44. none 45. sedan 48. Light Dragoons (abbrev) 49. my (colloq)
ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD
DOWN 1. hurry (colloq) 2. small, rounded, bare hill (colloq) 4. “Go __ wit’ ya!” 7. fancy 8. tribes 9. easy (colloq) 10. one more thing – at the end of a letter (abbrev) www.downhomelife.com
July 2018
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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2018 Ron Young
Pick the right letters from the old style phone to match the numbers grouped below and uncover a quote which will bring a smile to your face. _____ ____ _ ___ 73528 4667 4 477 __ __ 32 97
_____ 78278
_ ____ ___ 7 7377 464 ___ 437
_____ 84373 __ 29
____ 5453
__ 66
_____ 74686
Last Month’s Answer: You can teach a cat to do anything that it wants to do.
©2018 Ron Young
CRACK THE CODE
Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance Q = T Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.
_ _ _
BhL
_ _ _ _ T _ D Z0XQ0
_ _ _ _
BhLZ
_ _ _ _ _ T _ _ _ T _ _ _
hbbhZQL l RQR0 p _ _ _ _ _ _
Xp7R l x
_ _ _
nhZ
_ _
CB
T _ _ _ QO0
L
Last Month’s Answer: A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did. 156
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Food For Thought
© 2018 Ron Young
Each food symbol represents a letter of the alphabet. Find the meanings to the words then match the letters with the food symbols below to get a little “food for thought.”
skip =
oven =
evolving =
_ _ _
sx b _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_
_ _
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wander =
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Last Month’s Answer: You have to lead people gently toward what they already know is right. www.downhomelife.com
July 2018
157
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Different Strokes
Our artist’s pen made the two seemingly identical pictures below different in 12 places. See if you can find all 12.
ERN AND COAL BIN IN HARBOUR GRACE
Last Month’s Answers: 1. Window; 2. Sidewalk; 3. Roof; 4. Door; 5. Hand rail; 6. Woman; 7. Chimney; 8. SUV; 9. Car door; 10. Ern’s arm; 11. Coal Bin; 12. Tail lamp. “Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 21 Brentwood Dr., Brampton, ON, L6T 1P8.
158
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HIDE & SEEK RELATIONSHIPS
The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line.
AUNT BOSS BOYFRIEND BROTHER CAREGIVER CLIENT COLLEAGUE DAUGHTER EMPLOYEE FATHER GIRLFRIEND GRANDCHILD
D L I H C D N A R G A V S M M L L P
N S V S S N M Y E J A S O R U F L H
C N I U B O E F T B P D I Z P D X D
R O F S T F G M O K Z R O T N E M X
D M L H T R Y Y E A M K A S H K E Y
U N E L A E F C T S Q E Z L S L X D
NEPHEW PARTNER PATIENT ROOMMATE SISTER SON UNCLE
GRANDMA GRANDPA MENTOR MOTHER NEICE NEIGHBOUR NEMESIS L A R O C V B O F G W E B H W C F Z
Last Month’s Answers
R R E N E R R O R H I L P D C O B H
www.downhomelife.com
U E D I I A T C P W A S W N S T B P
Z M H E R L G J H V D H U O W N E N
A Z N T S F Z U S E E L T Y L E E L
E D C Q A Z L U E H T V E Y B I Y K
C Z A K T F N R F D G A B Q R L O L
U U R X S N S E I T R L M F F C L T
I S S D I O V A R J P D S D O F N C
P L A N K T O N R J N I L C M A G R
M L E V Z N K O N G A O R M P G P W
C E L K G I N N I N F H T Z A T V K
O J Y Q P L E K C R A O B Z L A P J
N W G C N D N E T L N V B O O X M Z
S G S F N E H U A X P C C A C D Y T
Q K E E G G V T J U G T L N R K K N
N E I C E B I R N A D G J O A O E E
V Q A N N H S I S E R V P E X C F N
F U O T R O B B L I J M E Y P N G B
Q K V Z S T E K U A P L L W U Z R H
O P C E E L M A A E G P N A E D A N
S A J R M Y H E L R S D G R T N Q W
K O E D A T V U A G A V S R C N O S
R Y P N P W R L N B R Y U G Y F Q A
R H M C H M Y K C A U N I N N N Z O
D H R P H L P A R T N E R D O E R F
W J S A A F U L M D U L N I J H D Q
K M E O I H O B N U P V S T P Y J E
N E I G H B O U R J J N K I K P H J
F B K S N N H E Z G M O A S H M I L
G T H K K U S G H V X A S Q U I D T
F G U J A G D D T P O Y C L Z H T E
Y W F I S E L K N I W I R E P B J R
Z O F T F U P H B R E T S B O L X U
R A M F R I A W S K M C C M X E Q G
A I W T M D N I N R Z S H U B S K T
L S Z I Y H O F B B E H A W R R T D
V Z T W E X I D I A Q S R V I L O J
D X J R U M Z E D X K V S G F W T Z
F S Z A J T Y L L S Z A K L P T A Y
Z S R K W H E C Z A H U L U V E W W
R E H T O R B Q A O C U Y L N I U K
July 2018
W J O E H P U F F I N C S N I A U E
D L H H I E O A I C C M C Q U I K D 159
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photo finish
Bell Island
Boots
It’s not every day you find footwear lined with iron ore... Gary Peddle Kirkland, QC
Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share? Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit. 160
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